Preview

Employment At Will Law Case Study

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
538 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Employment At Will Law Case Study
Drake and Keeler employer could argue the employment-at-will law was the reason for their discharge. According to Lisa Guerin, if Drake and Keeler are employed as at-will employees, then his or her employer does not need to have a good cause to fire him or her. In fact, if Drake and Keeler employer did not make it clear as to what kind of employee he or she was, then according to the law he or she is presumed to be hired as at-will. The only way Drake and Keeler can avoid being an at-will employee, is by proving otherwise, with documentation that he or she isn’t at-will. Unfortunately, the employer can have the at-will clause written among the company’s policies, in the company’s handbooks, or some other type of employment related documentation …show more content…
1). In fact, there is about 55% of American’s in the workforce today who are at-will employees (Radin &Werhane, 2003).
That’s why Drake and Keeler employer could argue that when both of them decided to walk off the job, they were terminating their employment according to the at-will law, because Drake and Keeler both were not happy working at the furniture warehouse. However, when the next day came, Drake and Keeler decided that they did not won’t to quit after all, so they went back to their place of employment only to find out that their manager had fired both of them anyway.
According to Harcourt, Hannay & Lam, “a company who operates under employment-at-will does not need a reason for dismissal, a procedure for dismissal, or provide any kind of redress for an unjust dismissal, other than in situations involving, for example, discrimination, tort, violation of public policy or bad faith” (2013, p. 312). However, in New Zealand the employment-at-will does have a just-cause dismissal system, in which it requires an employer to give a reason for an employee’s dismissal. In fact, New Zealand has a fair dismissal process, in which it must provide some various forms of redress if a dismissal is unjustifiable (Harcourt, Hannay & Lam,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    This Employment Agreement is made effective as of June 26th, 2013 and is between Joshua James, Frederick Alan, and Dave Darwin of the Builders Licensing and Training Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan (referred to as “the company”) and John Andrews (referred to as “the employee”).…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Milton lost because of an at will employment law states that employers have a broad discretion to terminate employees for any reason.…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Granbury’s employment is an at-will employment. From the case facts, she worked under conditions spelt out in an employee handbook. While the state of Texas has no implied contract exceptions for at-will employment agreements, the legal principle is that all employers should include a disclaimer in the employment letters and the handbooks guiding the employees. This disclaimer was not included, making the handbook a binding implied contract. In citing Aiello vs United Air Lines, Inc., 818 F.2d 1196 (1987), the court referenced another case, concluding that a handbook without terms that constitute a cause for termination of contract do not make up an implied contract. However, in Ms. Granbury’s case, the terms constituting a cause for termination of employment are clearly outlined. Moreover, these terms are applied on every other employee at the company and therefore influence a change in the nature of relationship between Ms. Granbury and her employer.…

    • 1906 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The facts of the case are that both Drake and Keeler felt that their workstations were too cold. The supervisor did not close the overhead door because of the temperature and the fact that the majority of the employees wanted the door to remain open. There is no evidence that Drake and Keeler told the supervisor that they would stop working and walk off the job if the overhead door was not closed. The employees should have escalated the situation up the chain of command before walking off the job. Instead the employees decided amongst themselves on their break to leave the job. According to Page, the court stated that an agreement involves a meeting of minds. First, the employer may try to argue that the discharge of Drake and Keeler was an appropriate exercise of management’s rights because of at will employment.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to the Employment-at-will doctrine an employers can terminate their employees for any reason, however there are three exception to the rules. They are public-policy exception, implied-contract exception, and covenant-of-good-faith exception.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The employee seems to be unable to learn the computer applications that are basic to her job responsibilities, but, consistently “tells” her boss that she is “a good worker and a genius” and that he does not “appreciate her”. Even after a few months of training and support, she is unable to use the computer tools to be productive and efficient in completing the required tasks.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Muhl, J. (2001) The employment-at-will doctrine: three major exceptions Retrieved April 13, 2012 from findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1153/is_1_124/ai_71704724…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The at-will agreements allow employers ease of hiring as well as firing. For any employee who is underperforming, they are bound to face the sack, which may qualify them for unemployment insurance if there lacks a paper trail of disciplinary action. Conversely, employees can be terminated for no good reason or any virtually any reason. The longevity of one’s contract may depend on the mood of the supervisor. As such, employees can never be 100 percent of their job security. In most cases, workers may devise a plan for side incomes, which robs the organization of productivity. The ruling in Montgomery County Hospital Dist. v. Brown (1998) provided that an employer's general oral assurances that an worker would not be terminated without good cause does not modify the employee's at-will status, absent a definite stated intent to be bound not to terminate the employee except under…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    example, a Texas court recently found that an employee’s at-will status was modified and an…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Employment at Will

    • 1705 Words
    • 7 Pages

    not performing their job successfully. At-will also means that an employer can change the terms…

    • 1705 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Employment at Will

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    References: Gibson, J. W. (2010). The Evolution Of Employment-At-Will: Past, Present, And Future Predictions. American Journal Of Business Education , 89-100.…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Employment at Will

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Public policy exceptions to at-will employment are recognized to varying degrees by many states. In the employment relationship, public policy violations normally involve employee termination for refusing to violate the law, exercising or fulfilling a legal right or duty, or disclosing law breaking by an employer. (Bennett-Alexander, 2007, pp. 28-31)…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ”Employers often, and legitimately, ask employees to sign contracts or agreements that document and enforce the terms of at will employment, usually in company policy manuals.” (Lawyersandsettlements.com, 2013, para. 4)…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The legal issues in the case of Elaine X v. Jerry Employer involve promises of great career opportunities. Considering that the employer is an “At Will” employer, does the employer need to provide an explanation for the termination? Are there ethics violations or various types of discrimination that played a role in the termination of the plaintiff? There are multiple questions that must be answered before a ruling can be made in this case. Was the employer within his right to terminate the plaintiff with no explanation? Is there sufficient evidence to show ethics violation or discrimination against the plaintiff?…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    At-will means that an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason (except an illegal one), or for no reason without incurring legal liability. Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason with no adverse legal consequences.…

    • 2523 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays