a. Whether you can legally fire the employee; include an assessment of any pertinent exceptions to the employment-at-will doctrine.
b. The primary actions(s) that you should take to limit liability and impact on operations; specify the ethical theory that best supports your decision.
According to the text the employment-at-will doctrine is a legal rule that developed in the nineteenth century, giving employers unfettered power to “dismiss their employees at will for good cause, for no cause, or even for cause morally wrong, without being thereby guilty of a legal wrong. Its legal …show more content…
The company has the law on their side with this case. Lastly, the scenario of Anna’s boss refusing to sign her leave for jury duty then wanting to fire her for being absent without permission is a good one. If the company proceeded with firing her, she would have a good lawsuit for damages because of the below law.
“Prohibited Actions by Employers
Both state and federal law prohibit employers from discharging, threatening or coercing employees who are summoned for jury duty or who are subpoenaed as witnesses in court proceedings. Employers may be fined up to $500 or imprisoned up to thirty days or both under state law and fined up to $1,000 per violation under federal law. In addition, employees who are discharged in violation of this law may seek reinstatement, lost wages and reasonable attorneys’ fees from the employer.”
With the above statement, the employee took proper measures to notify the employer that she would not be at work due to something out of her control and the supervisor, for whatever reason, chose to ignore her. The correct act for the company would be to discipline the supervisor for creating a liability that could possibly cause the company damages. The law is designed to protect bother the employer and the employee in this case. The supervisor just need to follow the rules and put his personal feeling aside.
Examine your