Can my boss fire me for not reaching a goal that he personally set for me?

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Can my boss fire me for not reaching a goal that he personally set for me?

My boss has threatened to fire me and my department manager if I/ we do not reach the personal sales goal that he has set for me. I am on straight commission. We have tried to reason with him. We have shared and can prove that we are trying to reach the goal but there are outside circumstances that are beyond our control. We cannot force customers to buy. Can he do this? He constantly threatens and pits one person or department against another.

Asked on July 14, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, South Carolina

Answers:

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

If you are an "at will" employee your employer can fire you for this reason or any reason at all; even no reason. The fact is that an employer can set the terms of a working relationship as it sees fit - it can hire/fire, increase/decrease salary/hours, or impose any other job requirements it chooses. This holds true unless there is an employment contract or union agreement to the contrary, or your employer's actions violates its own company policy. Additional, no form of actionable discrimination can play a role in your treatment.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

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