Can I be fired due to complaints made against me but not be told what they are or who made them?
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Can I be fired due to complaints made against me but not be told what they are or who made them?
I was fired today. The reason I was fired was due to several, what I think are, baseless complaints made against me. I asked if I could be told who made them/what they were but was told no. I was also not allowed to retrieve personal files off of my work computer. Are these actions legal, if not what statutes/laws do they violate?
Asked on November 11, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Wisconsin
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
In an "at will" employment relationship, you can be fired for this reason, any reason, or no reason at all (with or without notice). That is unless some form of actionable discrimination was a factor in your dismissal. The fact is that an employer has a great deal of discretion is setting the terms and conditions of the workplace. You would have protection here if you had an employment contract, union agreement or even the company's own policy that may have prohibited your discharge under the circumstances.
As for retrieving your personal computer files, all files on a computer are deemed to be company property and to be used only for job-related purposes. To the extent that you put personal information on your computer, you gave up rights to ownership or even any reasonable expectation of privacy.
Bottom line, while you may deem your treatment unfair, it was legal.
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