To Terminate at Will

“Employees-at-will,” the professor said, “What does that term really mean?” The class sat silently. The question was rhetorical, I assumed. “We are going to watch a video,” he said. He pressed play. The video gave examples of employees-at-will principles. Can an employer really terminate you at will? “For any reason, or for no reason at all,” I thought. “Discrimination,” the video explained, “is the act of--” My cell phone vibrated. It was my sister-in-law. The subject line was, “Hey.” The text read: “15 year old shot twice in the head on his way to school this morning. Dudley and Adams Street.” My body’s temperature changed. Suddenly, I had a fever. The employee at-will class discussion didn’t matter anymore. All I wanted to know was, “who was the kid and do I know him.” And the phrase, “to terminate at will” haunted my heart.
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