Corporate Employment Law

The application of Unlawful Harassment and Wrongful Termination laws to At Will Employment

Employment laws are complicated affairs, with different statutes handling different components. They govern the relationship between the employer and the employee. They also empower the respective authorities to address all kinds of disputes arising at the workplace and decree the system enforcing responsibilities of the employer towards the employee.

While there are federal regulations in the US governing employment and related affairs, each state has also enacted its own legislations to regulate employment. Several states have an ﾓat willﾔ employment scheme, where in neither the employer, nor the employee are bound to any liability in the absence of an express contract. If an individual is hired ﾓat willﾔ, then the employer can freely relieve that individual under valid or invalid reasons, or no reason at all. Similarly, the employee can also refrain from work at will without having to adhere to any agreement.

However, few exceptions exist to this arrangement. Some states decree it illegal for an establishment to terminate an employee even when just an 'implied' contract is present. Also an individual can sue an establishment if he or she has been discriminated in the name of sex, colour, religion, nationality, age or disability. An employer can not dismiss an employee for availing medical or family leave as explained by the state employment laws. The employer has to follow the protocol they themselves have formulated for discharging an employee. Otherwise the termination would be null and void and the employer is liable to law suits.

Corporate Employment Law