EMPLOYMENT AT WILL?

We usually say that an employer may fire an employee for “good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all.” This is a downer. It’s confusing: people are generally ignorant of their rights on the job. They often only think about such rights when they’re in trouble and call a lawyer.

If the lawyer scares them off with those words, when they’re already feeling vulnerable, they become downcast, fatalistic and passive. They wonder, “But what about all those cases where workers have sought their rights in court and won? How did that happen?”

I like this better. “Workers can’t be fired for an illegal reason”. Or better, “Workers can only be fired for a legal reason.” It’s equally true, and it encourages workers to explore their rights. What do you think?