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Partners and Counsel of Costello, Mains & Silverman, LLC

No, your boss can’t fire you just because he or she dislikes you

On Behalf of | Nov 10, 2017 | Workplace Discrimination |

Whenever a person experiences discrimination in the workplace, the reality of the matter is that it is very likely that he or she is not the only one experiencing such treatment. Individuals who discriminate often either don’t realize the seriousness of their actions or believe that they are above consequences. Practically speaking, this means that you may have allies with similar experiences in your workplace who can help strengthen your claims of discrimination.

One aspect of at-will employment that both employees and employers often misunderstand is that this system does not give an employer freedom to fire someone simply because the boss doesn’t like the employee, or some other reason that is primarily personal and not business related. However, many managers, superiors and chief executive officers (CEOs) seem to think that it is perfectly fine to let someone go if he or she just doesn’t fit their preferences.

Once you step away far enough to see how absurd it is to think that it is fine to fire someone over personal differences, it may cast your entire work history in a new light. This is especially true for certain kinds of people that often face extra difficulty in the workplace, such as female employees with particularly strong personalities that male superiors find off-putting. While not every strong female presence in the workplace is met with dismissal or disapproval, many are, along with countless other people who don’t fit a boss’s particular preferences. These attitudes serve only to weaken, not strengthen, a workplace.

If you believe that an employer fired you for illegitimate reasons, or if you believe that your employer systematically mistreats certain personality types or people groups as employees, an attorney can help you understand your legal options. You may have an opportunity to do important work to improve the professional world as a whole while fighting to defend your rights as an individual employee.

Source: FindLaw, “At-Will Employee FAQ’s,” accessed Nov. 10, 2017