ABSTRACT
Employment law is a maze of common-law doctrines, statutes, contract-established rules, judicial pronouncements, and administrative agency findings. This chapter reviews individual employment rights for all those interested in the developing area of the law. Along with examining at-will employment and employee privacy, guidance is offered to limit employer liability arising out of the individual employment relationship when dealing with these workplace situations. Employee and employer relationships are the basis of our economic structure affecting most people over the greater part of their lives. Individual employment rights consist of the at-will employment relationship and employee privacy interests. At-will employment allows termination of employment by either an employee or employer at any time for no reason. Concerns arise whether or not an employment relationship is created over individual employment rights. They are present at hiring, during employment, and after employment terminates. Recordkeeping, disclosure, and statutes along with their accompanying case law, have made individual employment rights a significant employer concern.
