1
Pros & Cons of Employment-at-will
2
What are the pros and cons of employment-at-will doctrine?
The Employment-at-will doctrine means that the employer has the right to fire the
employee without disclosing the reason for doing so. Likewise, the employee also has the
right to resign without giving any notice period for the same. In the United States, it is a
prevalent arrangement that has its pros and cons.
A significant advantage of employment-at-will to an employer is that the employer
can fire employees who are causing serious difficulties. The employer need not worry about
the troubles of complicated firing processes and can thus, concentrate on significant aspects
of their business like honing their key competencies and taking care of their day-to-day
operations.
Another advantage of employment-at-will for an employer is that employees whose
performance is not satisfactory can be relieved without any difficulty. It helps in giving better
-merit-employees priority rather than relying upon seniority for the same. It also supports
increasing employee competencies for the business and thus, improves the bottom line or net
earnings.
However, the employment-at-will doctrine is also not free from any disadvantages as
this kind of employment does not offer employees job security (Radin & Werhane, 2003). In
this kind of employment, employees can also be relieved for unjustified reasons, which
causes unemployment of performing employees. Furthermore, the employment-at-will
doctrine can also cause disadvantages to an employer, as an employee can leave the
organization without any notice period. It can seriously impact the business operations and its
capacity to function if many employees leave the organization within the same period.
To sum it up, the Employment-at-will doctrine has the pros in terms of flexibility for
business and ability to concentrate on significant aspects of the operations though it does
have certain disadvantages. Firstly, it leads to less job security for employees. It can also lead
to concerns over the business’ functioning if many employees leave the organization without
serving any notice period.
3
References
Radin, T. J., & Werhane, P. H. (2003). Employment-at-will, employee rights, and
future directions for employment. Business Ethics Quarterly, 13(2), 113-130