The purpose of this paper is to outline the history and the definition of the
employment-at-will doctrine and to discuss the implications of this doctrine for the
hospitality industry. Many of the documents in the employment process could be
used as evidence in a lawsuit regarding employee termination if these documents
are not carefully written. A survey of restaurant employee handbooks indicated that
they contained information that 1) was contractual in nature and 2) did not contain
an employment-at-will disclaimer.
Bureau of National Affairs (1982). The Employment At Will Issue: A Special Report. Washington, D.C.:The BNA Inc.
2.
Heshizer, B. (1985). The New Common Law of Employment: Changes in the Concept of Employment At Will. Labor Law Journal, 36(2):95-107.
3.
Koys, D.J., S. Briggs, and J. Grenig (1986). Individual States' Judicial Decisions on the Challenges to Employment At-Will. In J.A. Pearce II and R.B. Robinson Jr. (eds.), Best Papers Proceedings Academy of Management, 255-259, Chicago.
4.
Oliver, Jr. A.T. (1982, December). The Disappearing Right to Terminate Employees At Will. Personnel Journal, pp. 910-916.
5.
Stieber, J. (1980). The Case for Protection of Unorganized Employees Against Unjust Discharge. In Industrial Relations Research Series, Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Annual Meeting, pp. 155-163.
6.
Summers, C.W. (1980, January-February). Protecting all Employees Against Unjust Dismissal. Harvard Business Review, pp. 132-139.
7.
Vernon, R.G., and P.S. Gray (1980, Summer). Termination At Will—The Employer's Right to Fire. Employee Relations Law Journal, 6, pp. 25-40.
