Assignment 1: Employment-at-Will Doctrine Essay Example
Assignment 1: Employment-At-Will Doctrine
Ian Keller
Strayer University
Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance
LEG 500
Professor Joyce Weddle
April 21st, 2013
Introduction Jennifer is a recent college graduate who has been hired by an accounting firm. In the short time she has been employed with the firm she has discovered a number of behaviors she feels could be inappropriate regarding the employment-at-will doctrine as well as some liabilities with the employer. She has brought this up only because she feels obligated to report the behaviors’ in which she has witnessed and wants to ensure she won’t be held liable for not informing the management team (LEG 500 - Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, 2012). Jennifer identified four categories of questionable behavior which are 1) skills, competence and abilities, 2) management, behavior, and performance, 3) labor laws, and 4) policies and procedures. The each of the four categories mentioned above will be discussed in how they apply to the Employment-At-Will Doctrine as well as the liability of the employer.
Skills, Competence, and Abilities
In the first scenario, the employee isn’t able to learn the necessary computer applications for the job in which she was hired even after a few months of training and support. When the supervisor tries to find out what the problem is, the employee consistently tells her boss that she is “a good worker and a genius” and she goes on to say that “he does not “appreciate her” (LEG 500 - Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, 2012). A legal and binding doctrine known as the Employment-At-Will Doctrine gives the company grounds to terminate this employee. The Employment-At-Will Doctrine allows companies a broad spectrum to terminate employees “for a good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all” (Halbert, T., & Ingulli, E., p46, 2012). The same doctrine provides the employee the freedom to leave the job without notice, for any reason, good or bad. The employee
Ian Keller
Strayer University
Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance
LEG 500
Professor Joyce Weddle
April 21st, 2013
Introduction Jennifer is a recent college graduate who has been hired by an accounting firm. In the short time she has been employed with the firm she has discovered a number of behaviors she feels could be inappropriate regarding the employment-at-will doctrine as well as some liabilities with the employer. She has brought this up only because she feels obligated to report the behaviors’ in which she has witnessed and wants to ensure she won’t be held liable for not informing the management team (LEG 500 - Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, 2012). Jennifer identified four categories of questionable behavior which are 1) skills, competence and abilities, 2) management, behavior, and performance, 3) labor laws, and 4) policies and procedures. The each of the four categories mentioned above will be discussed in how they apply to the Employment-At-Will Doctrine as well as the liability of the employer.
Skills, Competence, and Abilities
In the first scenario, the employee isn’t able to learn the necessary computer applications for the job in which she was hired even after a few months of training and support. When the supervisor tries to find out what the problem is, the employee consistently tells her boss that she is “a good worker and a genius” and she goes on to say that “he does not “appreciate her” (LEG 500 - Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, 2012). A legal and binding doctrine known as the Employment-At-Will Doctrine gives the company grounds to terminate this employee. The Employment-At-Will Doctrine allows companies a broad spectrum to terminate employees “for a good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all” (Halbert, T., & Ingulli, E., p46, 2012). The same doctrine provides the employee the freedom to leave the job without notice, for any reason, good or bad. The employee