Q. "What is 'at-will' employment?"
Answer:
At-will employment means that the employer or the employee can end the employment relationship at any time, with or without notice, and with or without cause. It does not, however, allow an employer to terminate someone for an illegal reason, like their inclusion in a protected class or their exercise of a legal right.
Every state (except Montana) assumes the employment relationship is at-will unless there is a legal agreement in place that says otherwise. Even so, we recommend including clear language about this in your staff handbook.
Even with at-will employment, terminations carry risk. A terminated employee can always claim they were terminated for an illegal reason. To reduce that risk, document a lawful, business-related reason for each termination and share your reasoning with the departing employee.