Should bosses have the right to fire people at will?

Question

Should bosses have the right to fire people at will?

Answer 1

No

I believe a person should be terminated with reason. Is the person constantly showing late for work? Is he sleeping on the job without permission? I mean if the person isn't sick and just sleeps on the job he should get terminated. Is guy taking too many days off without consulting the employer? Is the person's performance up to par? What would be nice if the person isn't doing their job can get fired without dealing with affirmative action policies.  

Answer 2

The unemployment office decides if it was a good reason or not.  Companies only have so much money in their unemployment fund, then they pay out of pocket.  You could say the unemployment office makes them be fair about terminating employees.

Answer 3

If it is "At will" employment, yes... ( that's employment without a contract)

Answer 4

Only if the person is doing something illegal.  Caught stealing, doing drugs...

Answer 5

Yes, so long as employees have the right to quit at will.

Answer 6

Of course.  If you find someone stealing from the company, do you say, "no, no, bad dog, don't do that again"  or do you just fire the thief?  What if someone is intentionally installing viruses in the computers?  You fire them immediately so they can't do any more harm.  

There are times for reprimands but there are times that you fire someone and escort them out the door.  

Answer 7

No. They should have a valid reason.

But it depends on where you live, probably.  I am an employer in Tennessee of about 25 people, and I live in a "work at will" state. That means that I can fire you or you can quit for any reason or no reason at all.

The reality is that as an employer, I must justify why I term someone, despite being in a work at will state.  Usually i fire them well AFTER they deserve it. Then, I have documentation that shows a pattern of misbehavior so I am justified. Also, if a termed employee files for unemployment, I must justify to the state that the termination was warranted, otherwise they will collect unemployment. It's a way to keep employees and employers honest about why the termination happened and who deserves unemployment benefits.

Answer 8

There are certain States (like tennessee) which are right to work states and they can fire you for no reason.