Employment At Will vs. Due Process Essay

Given the culture these days of “No Win - No Fee” solicitors, the majority of employers have legal expenses cover that allows them to be guided through all employment issues by professionals who have the expertise in employment law. Owners/managers are advised to use this service for even the smallest employment issue as not following due process can prove costly for employers. In addition, these experts and the advice they give are non-biased and in accordance with current employment legislation.

Throughout the Twentieth Century, the evolution of workers’ rights in the workplace has drastically evolved. Through the utilization of constitutional freedoms, workers across the nation came together to support the goal of receiving fair treatment from employers when it came to wages, work conditions, and benefits. However, this wasn’t achieved without great sacrifice from the average man as standing up for their rights was a brave act that usually resulted in consequences.

However, the ruling in this case and others like it prove that employers can, in fact, be bound by articles written in an employee handbook when disciplining or discharging an employee. An abysmally written handbook can greatly jeopardize an employer’s right to terminate at will. Trends show that courts are increasingly acknowledging enforceable promises in the past employment practices of firms, in employer handbooks and in oral commitments. In addition to including an at-will disclaimer in employee handbooks, employers should also require employees to sign an acknowledgment confirming that they understand and agree to employment-at-will and that at-will employment can at any time be modified by a written agreement. Personnel manuals should explicitly state that the employer reserves the right to terminate employment at will. All written policies should also be free of any language that could be considered as a guarantee of job security. To be sure that these common pitfalls are avoided employers must retain the service of a labor attorney to draft and air-tight employee manual and acknowledgment

The original assignment in this module dealt primarily with employers trying to find wrongdoing by employees.  We now turn to the question of employee rights and employer obligations.  Using at least two (2) of the foundational ethical theories studied in Module 2, you should answer the following questions.   With each answer, you should discuss the issues and set forth and defend a clear position.

The phrase "innocent until proven guilty" has been quoted for many years. In our society, we have labeled the accused person either guilty or not guilty without giving that person or persons their rith of due process. Webster's New World College Dictionary Fourth Edition says: "Due Process is the course of legal proceedings established by the legal system of a nation or state to protect individual rights and liberties." Due Process will allow an accused person time to go through the court proceeding, in hope of proving his or her innocence or guilt. Due Process will give the individuals who have been accused of a crime the right to a fair and public trial, the right to be at the trial, the rith to an impartial jury, and the

1. What is the legal issue in this case? Linda Dillon appealed her case against her employer, Champion Jogbra, on the grounds of wrongful termination. The company’s progressive policy for disciplinary action was not applied. Therefore, Dillon makes her claim that her at will status was modified according to the employee handbook and practices. Employee’s handbook should be written clearly and reviewed by legal experts (Walsh, 2010). Champion Jogbra countered that Dillon was an at-will employee and she could be terminated at any time. Dillon also, argues against that the

When we are dealing with the employment relationship between employers and employees, ethical issues are most likely to emerge. Especially, if a manager fires a worker without a proper reason, critics will follow this employer’s behavior. In Patricia Werhane’s paper, “Employment at Will and Due Process”, discusses two doctrines which are Employment at Will (EAW) and Due Process. It also addresses some justifications and objections for EAW, and shows Werhane’s supportive view to Due Process. In contrast, EAW is defended by Richard Epstein in his article “In Defense of the Contract at Will”. In my paper, I will attempt to develop my argument in favor of Employment at Will that could improve flexibility and efficiency of

Employment at will is a law that is present in all fifty states in the US; although, in Montana there requires a stated cause for termination. Employment at will creates dissent among employees when they have been terminated for a cause that is thought to be unsubstantial or when no cause is given. There are pros and cons to the presumption, and employees and employers have different views. Employment at will means that the employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any cause without warning. However, even an at-will employee cannot be terminated because of discriminatory reasons. Employment at will also means that an employee can leave a job at any time without the fear of facing any legal consequences. An employer can also

What if the employer dismissed an employee without following some procedures proscribed by the contract? The case of Gunton v Richmond-upon-Thames London Borough Council (1980) provided an answer on this matter, “if the contract

The role of the tribunal and court systems in enforcing employment law is to ensure that cases brought before them are dealt with in a fair and consistent manner. Delivering an outcome that is consistent with the facts put before them. They have to consider the evidence placed by both the employee and the employer. In most cases it is for the employer to prove that they handled the case appropriately taking account of their internal procedures and ensuring that they were not in breach of any relevant employment legislation related to the employee and their circumstances.

Instead of seeing the relationship on equal footing, courts and senates gradually began to identify that employers regularly have fundamental and monetary advantages when negotiating with potential or current employees (EAW, n.d.). Provisions are put in place to protect and educate employees and employers. Laws are set to enable organizations to manage in the fairest manner possible. This paper will provide background on Employment at Will and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Secondly, it will examine what act has the greatest and the least impact on employees in the private-sector U.S. workplace. Lastly it will provide a brief summary.

Warhane and Radin, in their article “Employment at Will and Due Process”, suggest that one of the major reasons employment at will is acceptable is that it protects the proprietary rights of employers. In particular “the proprietary rights of employers guarantee that they may employ or dismiss

The “good faith” exception states that employers may only terminate an employment relationship based on good faith. Terminations based on bad faith or terminations motivated by malicious intent are thereby prohibited with this exception. Susan and the Human Resource Department need to investigate Phil’s personal vendetta against Susan’s boss to assure that a bad faith claim cannot be claimed in case of employment separation.

In the world, it is hard to sometimes hard to balance life between things that don’t involve work and things that involve your work. At-Will Employment is a contractual relationship between an employee and an employer that allows dismissal for any reason without just cause. The idea of at-will employment originated in 1877 with Horace Gray Wood. Horace Gray Wood dealt with master and slave relations. The question with at-will employment becomes is it ethical to let an employee go based on non-work difficulties. The ethical decision that is being examined is “Is it ethical for a manager to terminate an employee whose performance has markedly declined non account of dealing with non-work personal difficulties?” The at-will doctrine is

Employment-at-will is a law that stipulate that as long as a employee is not been discriminated he or she can loose their job and any given time. This paper aims to analyze 8 different scenarios and determine whatever or not an employ can lose his or her job based in some behaviors, actions, or inactions that had lead to a somewhat hostile, aggressive, and even disrespectful work environment. At the same time the paper will address the importance of whistleblower police for any organization. While the employment-at-will allows employers to terminate their staff at any moment, at the same time it protect the staff from any type of discrimination.