WEBVTT

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In almost every state, the default setting is employment at will.

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Think of it as the background rule that governs your job unless you and your employer have actively changed it.

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It means your employer does not need a good reason to fire you.

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They can fire you because they dislike your shirt or because you root for the wrong team.

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Those reasons are unfair, but they are perfectly legal.

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Here is where it changes.

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At-will is a powerful shield, but it has cracks, and the cracks are where your rights live.

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The first is the public policy exception, like being fired for serving on a jury.

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The second is implied contract, like a handbook that promises termination only for just cause.

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And the third is illegality, when the real reason is discrimination, retaliation, or punishing a whistleblower.

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There is one more thing you must know.

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The boss is now often an algorithm.

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The EEOC has been unequivocal.

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There is no AI exemption to Title VII, the ADA, or the ADEA.

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In its 2023 settlement with iTutor Group, hiring software that rejected older applicants cost three hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars.

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So when they say fresh perspective, ask the one question that changes everything: Why?