Do you work/live in an "At Will" state?

@zoey7879 (3092)
Quincy, Illinois
April 21, 2009 10:46pm CST
What do you think about "At Will" employment? Do you feel that it is fair? Do you feel that it is fair for the government to allow this practice? Some states have stipulations on their "At Will" employment practices while others do not.
1 response
• United States
22 Apr 09
I contract for my company, so I am essentially an "at will" employee. I think that this system often works much better than permanent hire, because employees are held immediately accountable for their actions. I have to respect the rules and expectations of my manager, and perform to my best abilities, or I could possibly face termination. With some permanent positions, it can be very difficult to get rid of someone who is not performing, because there is a lot of documentation and jumping through hoops that needs to be done to provide evidence of their poor behavior. It shouldn't take that much work to prove someone's not doing their job! "At will" also allows me to leave at any time, without having a system to follow as well. That could be very helpful if I were in a situation where I didn't mesh with the company atmosphere or the management. Overall, I like "at will" employment. I have had positive experiences in the past, and am in a good situation right now, so I can't complain. I could see where sometimes "at will" scenarios could be abused, but I've seen and heard of VERY few experiences where that is the case.
@zoey7879 (3092)
• Quincy, Illinois
22 Apr 09
I live in Illinois and I've worked also in Michigan that are both At Will states.. you can be fired if they don't like the way you smile and it's perfectly legal. Anything that isn't retaliatory, harassment or due to anything that would normally be in violation of the EEO laws..