At-will Employment Relationship - Essay Example

The paper "At-will Employment Relationship" is a great example of an essay on business. Employers who rely on the at-will employment relationship have certain advantages. The fact that they can fire none performers and difficult employees without prior notice or any reasonable cause makes it possible for the employer to change the workforce more often. Notably, other employment relationships involve long procedures before an employer can fire an employee. For this reason, the at-will doctrine presents employers with a measure of flexibility so that they can make workforce adjustments on an immediate basis (Malos, Haynes, and Bowl 155). In such cases, the employer is not bound to provide any justifiable layoff. In addition, the at-will doctrine does not involve any form of agreement or contract. For this reason, employers do not have to offer any form of compensation to sacked employees. 

The at-will employment relationship presents certain disadvantages to employers. Just as the employer can fire employees without notice or justifiable cause, the employees can quit the job without any apparent reason or notice. In other cases, when an employer terminates an employee without notice, litigation may occur, leading to tort liability. Tort liability may compel the employer to pay monetary damages to the employee. Notably, the at-will doctrine has numerous exceptions that give an employee room to sue an employer for termination (151). In addition, fired employees may choose to sue the employer and tarnish their name. Even in cases where the employer can carry out a successful defense, the employer loses a remarkable amount of money. The monetary loss involved affects the company’s stock price. Some employees are keen to analyze the at-will employment relationship during the hiring process. When this happens, the employee may develop a negative attitude towards the employer.
I am currently working as a sales representative for an insurance company. The job responsibilities include selling different insurance products and offering financial advice to existing and potential clients. Currently, the employment relationship reflects the at-will doctrine. With the existing pressure on insurance companies to get new clients, the company needs to adjust its workforce more often. The employer is in constant search of highly dynamic and effective sales representatives who can deliver tangible results. For this reason, the employer can fire sales representatives at any moment and recruit new ones. The company has been recruiting new sales representatives all year round (162). Marketers have been indulging in research to determine the best traits for effective sales representatives. The employer faces the compulsion of hiring different individuals each time they seem to have a diverse range of skills. For this reason, I am well aware that I can be fired without any justifiable cause.
I have the conviction that the employee rights approach is more suitable for the job description above. Notably, sales representatives perform routine jobs, and static skill levels can surface to handle their job responsibilities. Sales representatives can interchangeably work on different responsibilities. The employee rights approach promotes loyalty from employees. In addition, it offers a measure of predictability and eliminates the possibility of complex litigation. Every employee deserves to have a stable and predictable employment relationship that can offer a measure of security (162). Worth noting is the fact that the employee rights approach is more ethical and promotes fairness in the labor industry. Read More