What are my rights if I work front desk at a hotel and my GM wants me to scrub the base boards of our breakfast room but it is not standard SOP for the front desk?
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What are my rights if I work front desk at a hotel and my GM wants me to scrub the base boards of our breakfast room but it is not standard SOP for the front desk?
When I said it was not part of my job, she threaten to fire me. Can she do that?
Asked on August 18, 2014 under Employment Labor Law, Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
Unless you have a written employment contract which protects your job and defines your exact responsibilities, you are an "employee at will." Being an employee at will means that your job is whatever your supervisor tells you it is, whether it is SOP or not. Furthermore, as an employee at will, you may be fired at any time, for any reason whatsover (including refusing to follow instructions, insubordination, or just that your supervisor doesn't like you or wants to make an example of you), so long as the reason is not illegal discrimination based on protected characteristic, such as your sex, religion, race, disability, or age or 40. (Note: a woman, a minority, a disabled person, etc. can be fired--they just can't be fired *because* they are woman, minority, disabled, etc.) So yes--you can be fired if you don't do as your GM asks.
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