Employment termination

[KCS]

Fired for cause due to personal emails disparaging personnel. Legal?

 

[loku]

If you are asking whether it was a legal termination when you were fired for cause because you sent personal emails disparaging personnel of the employer, then the answer is that if the emails were disruptive, or if you did not stop sending them when asked to, that would be justifiable cause for termination.

However, more important is the fact that most people are employees at will and have no employment contracts or union contracts that protect them. That means that a boss can fire them at will for any legal reason other than discrimination on the basis of such things such as race, color, creed, etc. or no reason at all. If there is an employment contract, or a union, that's different.

 

[KCS]

In this case, the employee was protected by contract with severance package dependent upon not being fired "for cause". The "cause" cited is disparaging emails (CEO horrible, not organized, not supportive) sent to personal friends who were former business associates. Severance package is being denied. Justified?

 

[loku]

This one sounds like a close call. As an employee, you owe a duty of loyalty to the employer. The emails may have breached that duty. If so, then that is cause for termination.

To be sure on this, I suggest you speak to an employment law attorney familiar with your state case law on "cause."