What are my rights if I was terminated without cause or notice?
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What are my rights if I was terminated without cause or notice?
A big recruiting firm verbally offered me a job for a client and I verbally accepted. Salary was negotiated on my behalf and I worked at that client for 3 days. None were full 8 hours due to the client not knowing what to do with me (I assume due to lack of internal communication from C-Level with the department I was working in). A meeting came up that I was not allowed to go to and I was escorted out of the door with no answers on whether or not I had a job or not, and what the next step was. I was told to call my recruiter. I ended a well paying contract for this full-time salary job. Can I be compensated?
Asked on April 22, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Tennessee
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
I'm afraid that an employee has no legal right to notice or even being given reasons for their termination. The fact is that most employment relationships are what is known as "at will", and TN is no exception. This means that an employee can work for an employer, or not, their choice. In turn, an employer can hire or fire and employee for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. Exceptions to this would be: 1) if there is a union agreement which requiring such documentation; 2) if there is an employee contract, handbook or other policy that provides for this; or 3) if discrimination is a factor (there can be no termination for reasons of race, religion, age, disability, sex, national origin).
Note: The only compensation that you are entitled to is that you be paid for the time that you worked (absent a contract/agreement or company policy stating otherwise).
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