As an employee, you may often feel like you have very few rights. Most of the time, though, employees misunderstand their rights and assume their employers always have the upper hand to do whatever they like.
The reality is that employment law gives you a lot of rights, and you should protect them. There are many situations in which you may have a legal situation come up and need the services of an attorney who practices employment law. One such situation is when it comes to at-will employment and wrongful termination.
At-Will Employment
One situation that often causes a lot of confusion is at-will employment. Wikipedia explains this means that you and your employer both have the right to end your employment at any time without a reason. Most people mistakenly think this means that your employer can fire you for any reason it wants.
The reality is that while your employer doesn’t have to give you a reason, there does have to be a legal reason behind firing you. For example, if your employer decides to fire you because you become pregnant and has no other justifiable reason for letting you go, then this is illegal. You could take your employer to court for pregnancy discrimination.
The bottom line is that at-will employment does not give your employer the right to discriminate against you or break the law.
Wrongful Termination
If your employer fires you without a legitimate reason, you could have a case for wrongful termination. It is more difficult to prove this when you have an at-will employment situation simply due to the nature of this type of employment. It is much easier to prove if you have a contract that your employers breaks when letting you go.
However, with the assistance of an employment law attorney Orlando FL, you can put together a case that draws on employment law, discrimination law, and other applicable laws to prove your termination was unjust.