At-will Employment

The employment-at-will doctrine is an employer’s ability to terminate an employee, for any reason at all, without fear of litigation. The term “at-will” does not mean more pay for more hours worked than guaranteed under the contract; instead, it means the right to decide whether or not to continue working.  

The at-will employment rule means that an employer can change wages, benefits, and on-call work schedules at any time. This can be modified through a contract that specifies the employer’s terms of employment and termination.   

If termination does occur, the employer does not need to provide a warning or justify firing the employee. Additionally, employees are free to leave their job whenever they want without advance notice, so long as they are not breaking any agreements.