Should I sign this?

[Karen Henry]

I reside in the state of West Virginia and am seeking employment. The job applications require me to sign statements which include the verbage, "I understand that my employment may be terminated, by the Hospital or by me, at any time for any reason or for no reason at all", and/or the verbage, " I understand and agree that if I am offered employment by the facility, my employment will be for no definite term and that either I, or the facility will have the right to terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice". Should I sign such a statement, and, if I do sign such a statement do I still have the right to pursue legal action if wrongfully discharged ?

 

[buddy2bear]

The wording is standard for employee handbooks and employment applications. It means you are "at-will" and that by signing, an employment contract is NOT made. As for suing for wrongful discharge, that depends on whether the discharge violated your civil rights (discrimination, sexual harassment, etc.) in some manner. In any event, if you don't sign, you don't get the job. All it really means is that there is no employment contract created between you and the hospital.