Can My Employer Fire Me For What I Do Outside of Work?
The question of whether or not an employer can legally fire you for what you do on your own time, outside of work, can be controversial. The answer to the question depends on the activity involved, and whether that activity has any legal protection under your state’s laws. Generally speaking, if there is no law specifically protecting you from being fired for the activity under consideration, and if you are not a union or governmental employee with special protection against being fired without a reason, then you are employed at will.
Employment-at-will means that both the employer and the employee can end the employment relationship at any time without notice or reason. This means the employer has the right to terminate your employment at any time, for any reason, for no reason at all, or for a bad reason, so long as the reason is not illegal–even if your performance has been outstanding. So if the reason for your termination is not illegal under the laws of your state, then yes, your employer can fire you for what you do on your own time, outside of work.
Employees are commonly fired for having a personal website, blog, or other social media content that an employer deems inappropriate. Even if you have a non-work related website that you don’t access from your office, employers can fire you if they feel the content on your personal site, blog, or social media is offensive to them or to potential clients, or reflects badly on the company.
However, state and federal laws protect workers from being fired for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
-Forming a union
-Being involved in union activity
-Reporting unsafe working conditions
-Reporting illegal activities within the workplace
-Engaging in legal conduct
-Holding certain beliefs
If you, or someone you know, are facing legal issues in the workplace United Employees Law Group has the answers. Call Today for your free and confidential case review. Please feel free to CONTACT US with any questions about this blog or your exact situation.
Courtesy of Workplace Fairness. For more information regarding the article, visit http://www.workplacefairness.org/off-duty-conduct#1
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