If I'm an at-will employee, can my employer really fire me for any reason?
Not quite. "At will" means your employer doesn’t need a good business reason to let you go — but it still can’t fire you for an ILLEGAL reason. Discrimination based on a protected characteristic, retaliation for reporting something unlawful, firing you for taking legally protected leave, or firing you for refusing to break the law are all illegal regardless of at-will status. At-will employment limits WHY you can’t be fired, not whether certain reasons remain off-limits.
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