Unless there is an employment contract or union agreement all employees are presumed to be “at will”. At will simply means the employer/employee relationship can be terminated by either the employer or employee at any time without notice. You can terminate an employee for cause or for no cause and the employee can quit.
There are exceptions which may vary slightly by state. If, for example, your employee manual includes specific steps to be taken before an employee is to be terminated it can create an implied contract. Employee manuals are important but do not make them so detailed they can be used against you.
Note that you do not need a good reason to terminate someone or even any reason at all. You can do it “at will” unless it is done in such a way that it discriminates against a specific protected group as defined by law. You cannot fire an employee because of race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), natural origin, age, disability or genetic information. ( http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/coverage_private.cfm ) These laws generally apply to employers with more than fifteen employees. While I suggest you do not ignore the law if you have less than the required number of employees it does make complaints more difficult.
The “at will” doctrine is one reason that you should not go into detail when firing an employee. If you say you are terminating an employee for cause then they can argue whether the actions justify the termination. Without a stated reason there is no argument
Original content copyright 2010 Thomas Robinson
At Will Employee
Employee Responsibility
Responsibility of Employee to the Organization
The new and existing employees that are hired in an organization have a certain responsibility towards the organization, society, and the nation, at large. Therefore, it is important to induct the ‘right’ employees in the organization. The traits that these employees personify include teamwork, integrity, commitment, and work ethic.
Roles & Responsibilities for Employees
1. Do Early Homework: Every employee is responsible for understanding the work allotted and determining if it is appropriate for him. He/she should make sure whether he/she has mastered the skills required to perform the task completely. If he/she is not sure about how to handle the work allotted to them they should talk with their superiors and get suggestions and directions in fulfilling the work allotted to him/her. This will help the employee in building good relations with not only their superiors also with their colleagues.
2. Plan with the Manager: Having a proper work schedule or time table for the work allotted to the employee helps the employee in Time Management and reaching the deadlines in time Also, when a new work is allotted
3. Use Available Resources and take responsibility: The employees should have sense of responsibility towards the resources of the Organization. As a part of the Organization every employee is equally responsible for the long life of the existing resources, for which smooth usage and suggestions for usage is required, which in case is not provided should be requested for.
4. Participation: Active listening and participation in teams will ensure that all employees become good team players and work with unity towards common goals of the Organization. Whenever a new work is being allotted all the Employees should be eager enough to take the initiative rather than trying to avoid newer tasks. This will facilitate in employees learning new skills and reaching the Organizational goals with much effectiveness.
5. Be Punctual And Regular: The Prime responsibilities of every employee must be Punctuality and Regularity. You can be better organized by being punctual and regular. Unwanted and unexpected work delays can be dealt effectively
6. Cleanliness is Next To Godliness: One should maintain the cleanliness of their desk, and also premises of the Organization. If you and your premises are clean you will find it more encouraging to work and also it is convenient to work for other employees.
7. Washroom: Please use the washrooms bearing in mind that you are not the only person who is using it. See to it you don’t spill the water across the wash basin when you are using it same with the premises of wash room. Health and Hygiene of you and others should be your prime concern.
8. Cost effectiveness: The employees should develop the habit of cost saving work style and put stress on waste control methods with maximum output.
9. Creative thinking and suggestion: The employee should always think upon the improvement of work efficiency and organizational development.
Please be organized,disciplined and contribute to the growth of the Organization. Everyone grows with the Organization. So, Organizational Growth is the Growth of individual and nation.
Employee Benefits
Does employee benefit administration have you more confused than ever? If so, it’s no wonder. Even a simple employee benefit plan can create mounds of paperwork and management problems for businesses. To make matters worse, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to compete in today’s labor market without offering an employee benefit program of some kind. Most employees today expect full employee benefits and many believe they should receive benefits equivalent to a federal employee benefit program. Even employees that work for minimum wage commonly expect to receive employee benefits similar to the Wal Mart employee benefit program.
Whether you like it or not, employee benefits have become a must have for most employers. Not only does offering employee benefits help you to keep up with the competition, but it can also be a good way to attract and retain quality employees as well as promote teamwork and morale in your organization.
If you are considering offering an employee benefit plan to your employees in order to remain competitive and retain quality employees, it’s important to understand the key components of a plan and employee benefit management.
So, what is the minimum employee benefits you should offer? Take a look at the basics below.
Health benefits are considered to be the core of any employee benefit plan by most employees. Today most employers offer a choice between either an HMO or a PPO and cover approximately 80% of the premium for their employees as well as the dependents of their employees. You may also consider offering dental and vision coverage.
The other key component of an employee benefits program is a savings program. By and far, the most popular plan of this type is the 401(k) savings plan. Keep in mind that you can offer a 401(k) to your employees without actually contributing any funds yourself. If you do choose to generously make contributions to your employee’s savings plan, you might consider setting a cap out amount. For example, you might agree to contribute no more than $1000 a year per employee. That is quite standard among most small businesses that offer this type of plan.
While health and savings benefits comprise the core of most employee benefit plans, it’s important to recognize that you can be flexible when designing an employee benefit program. Many employers today are offering employee benefits in a most creative way to satisfy the emerging unique interests of their employees. For example, many businesses are now offering onsite child care, pet insurance, domestic partner benefits and meal reimbursements for employees that typically put in overtime.