Can I be fired for opening a document that was on a public network that a co-worker happened to see?
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Can I be fired for opening a document that was on a public network that a co-worker happened to see?
HR told me it was a confidential document but if it was confidential it wouldn’t of been on a public network; it would of been on a private network.
Asked on January 26, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, Texas
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
I'm not exactly sure about the circumstances of this incident. However, in an "at will" employment relationship, a worker can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. So unless you had some kind of protection against termination (i.e. under the terms of company policy, a union agreement or employment contract), your employer's action was legal. Also, your treatment must not have bee due to any form of actionable discrimination.
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