Georgia is an Employment at Will state
Georgia is an employment at will state. I can't explain that in technical legalese terms. But in plain language your employer can fire you when ever they dang well please without any dang reason what so ever if they dang well feel like it and there's not a dang thing you can do about it. The law sucks! Atlanta is a booming city home to the headquarters of many major corporations, an emerging entertainment industry, a vibrant tourism and convention industry, the world's busiest airport, a healthy real estate market which supports many related industries such as construction, retail and landscaping, and lots of small businesses such as restaurants, boutiques, professional services, and start up companies. The job market in Atlanta is very good though also very competitive because of the number of new job seekers relocating here. However, I think if job seekers are diligent and flexible most can find employment with in a reasonable amount of time looking. Unfortunately, job security can be tenuous because of Georgia's employment at will law. I don't know how widely or frequently it's used but when or if you are one of the unfortunate victims of it, which I was, it can be humiliating to say the least. On my last job I had a good work record including favorable annual appraisals, no disciplinary actions, good attendance, glowing accolades from clients and supervisors, approval of all work plans. None of the reasons one would expect to be fired for, but I was. The only advantage I had was that they gave me 3 months notice so my termination didn't happen immediately. They even told me they would be glad to give me references. We don't want you working for us anymore but we'll be glad to help you get a job with somebody else, basically. WTF? Employment at will offers limited recourse. If you believe you were let go because of some form of discrimination than you can pursue a case with various regulatory agencies. In limited circumstances hourly employees are entitled to a disciplinary process involving verbal warnings, written warnings, suspensions and such before finally being fired. But salaried workers are not even allowed the disciplinary process unless the employer chooses to use it. Similar to employment at will, and sometimes confused with it, is the right to work law, which applies to union workers. I don't know what to suggest to protect yourself from an employer who chooses to exercise their right to terminate you at will because it's totally up to your employer's discretion. But I recommend when working in Atlanta remain aware that it can happen to you and be prepared for what you're going to do if it does.
I do not know your age, but unless you have been self employed for most of your career or come from a state where unions have a more than average presence, I am sort of surprised you have never heard of "at will" employment. In any event, the best way to avoid the pitfalls of at will, open your own business. Then the only person who can fire you is you.
Actually, 49 states are essentially "at will".. The only exception is Montana which enforces "for cause" as the only means by which an employee may be discharged. In some states, there are exceptions encompassed by three categories. Public Policy. And example of unlawful termination is if an employer terminated an employee for refusing to violate a state or federal law. Implied Contract...Simply a policy or regulation set by an employer. A statement such as "if you perform your duties in an outstanding manner, you'll have a job for life"..That is an "implied Contract"....Typically, it means very little. And no employer is bound by this unless a signed contract with words to that effect actually appear in the contract. "As a general rule, courts disregard language promising long-term, lifetime, or permanent employment as aspirational and consider the relationship to be at-will." "Employers can further protect themselves by using a clear and unambiguous disclaimer on written materials stating that its policies and procedures do not create contractual rights. Employers can also reserve the right to modify policies and procedures at any time. In states with a statute of frauds, the requirement that contracts of over a year be in writing creates an additional hurdle to employee claims involving oral assurances." http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/at-will-employment-overview.aspx There are 41 states plus DC which observe Implied Contact employment law. Lastly there are a handful of states which use Good Faith/Fair Dealing .... A couple of examples of this would be an employer terminating an older employee without cause to avoid paying retirement benefits. BTW, the federal government is perhaps the largest abuser of termination of long term workers for this very purpose. Another example would be terminating a sales person when he or she is due a large commission settlement. typically, as employees, we are essentially at the mercy of the employer. Georgia is certainly not unique.
Michigan is a at will state also. Welcome to the club survive the feelings and emotions and everything will work out in the long run. Praise God...