| Employment & Labor Law |
| Discrimination |
| Rights: Americans Disabilities Act |
| Employment Contracts |
| Family & Medical Leave |
| Human Resources |
| OSHA |
| Sexual Harassment |
| Wage and Hour Law |
| Wrongful Termination |
Employment Contracts
An employer and an employee may enter into a written contract of employment which will set forth their agreed terms with respect to the employment. Employment contracts define the specific responsibilities of the employee and state the amount of compensation that the employer is willing to pay for his services.
The duration of the job which can be one year, two years, or indefinitely may also be stated in the contract. If the contract clearly states that your job is only good for a certain period of time, the employer is barred to terminate you before the time is up, except when valid and justifiable grounds exist for firing you. In case no contract has been signed between you and the employer, or the contract does not state the job's duration, your relationship with the employer is considered as an employment at will.
Although the employer cannot terminate you from the job without valid grounds, you can stop working for an employer at any time. It has long been established by court decisions that you cannot be forced to continue in the service of an employer for whom you no longer want to work. There are instances, however, when your right to work for another employer can be restricted if there is an agreement in writing. You may be limited to get a subsequent employment from a competing firm once you leave your job, or you can be bound not to divulge the company's trade secrets and its client lists.
Employment contracts may also state the circumstances in which the employer may terminate you from the job, although the employment duration is indefinite. Other issues that may be stated in the contract include the method by which you and your employer will resolve any disputes, your benefits such as vacation leave, disability leave and health insurance, and ownership of your work if, for instance, you are employed as a writer or a product developer.
If there are terms in your employment contract that you do not understand, or you think that your employer has violated certain terms in it, you may want to seek the help of an attorney, particularly one well-versed in employment law.