Is it legal to lay off an employee without the employer giving any notice?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is it legal to lay off an employee without the employer giving any notice?
Laid off after 20 years of employment. No notice provided by my employer. Severance pay is only 750/ week for a four week period.
Asked on February 12, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Florida
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Unless your termination violated the terms of an employment contract/union agreement or constituted some form of legally actionable discrimination, then it was legal. The fact is that most employment is "at will", which means that a company can set the conditions of work much as it sees fit. Accordingly, a worker can be laid off for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. Additionally, severance is not legally mandated. Therefore, to the extent that it is provided, an employer can decide how much to give.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.