Putting At-Will Employment at Risk

April 11th, 2011

“At-will” employment refers to a common-law rule that the employment relationship may be terminated by the employer or the employee at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or notice. The intent behind this rule is to allow either the employee or employer to terminate the employment relationship without liability to the other.  The recent establishment of various federal and state regulations and the application of certain employment laws, however, have created conditions much more in favor of today’s employees.   To minimize the risks of wrongful termination claims, every employer needs to understand at least three big exceptions to the employment at-will concept:  Read the rest of this entry »

Six HR Tips for Non-Compete Agreements

December 6th, 2010

Many small businesses struggle to determine whether or not non-compete agreements are worthwhile to use. Such agreements are employment contracts designed to restrict an employee’s right to start a competing business across the street or to take your clients, other employees, or even your training with them when joining your competition. Depending on how the agreements are written and applied, they may help add protection to your business or simply add headaches. Read the rest of this entry »