Most states that we practice in are bare bones, at-will employment states. That means that unless you have a written contract you can fire somebody for any reason, unless it’s a bad reason. And a bad reason would be a discriminatory reason like a racial or sexual reason. Those are protected classes.
There’s also an issue of whether or not you’re going to end up paying an unemployment claim. And usually your line there is whether or not you fired them for cause.
That’s why your policies and procedures can come in so handy. If you have a reasonable handbook that sets out the expectations for your employees, then that will protect you as long as you’re doing good documentation.
Have questions or need a set of procedures to protect your business? Davis Business Law can certainly help you with that. Give us a call.