What reasons can an employer not fire you?
Mia Phillips
Updated on March 26, 2026
Discrimination. Employers may not fire even at-will employees for illegal reasons, and discrimination is illegal. If you believe you were fired because of your race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, pregnancy, or genetic information, you should talk to a lawyer right away.
Can a company fire without warning?
Your employer can terminate your employment at any time and without warning. They do not need to have a good or valid reason to let you go, so long as they are not firing you for discriminatory reasons. If your termination is not tied to severe workplace misconduct, you dismissal is considered one “without cause”.
Can you sue an employer for lying about termination?
For example, you can definitely sue if your employer for wrongful termination if you were fired for reasons that violate anti-discrimination and whistleblower statutes such as: California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) California Family Rights Act (CFRA)
Can a company fire an employee with no notice?
Under an at-will employment doctrine, an employer can fire an employee with no notice given and no justification required. This is not typically the case, however, when a company’s employees have unionized and have a collective bargaining contract. Other contracts with your employer may apply as well.
Why do people think it’s OK to fire an employee?
And, in part, this belief is encouraged by the employer’s actions, or rather, non-action. Firing an employee may take you awhile—usually much longer than the circumstances merit. Because you are kind, caring, and tend to give employees another chance. But, these are the top 10 things you do not want to do when you do decide to fire an employee.
Can a contract employee be fired for no reason?
Employees under contract may not be fired by their employer without just cause. Those reasons will be limited under the contract, but it is illegal to violate a signed contract. Knowing whether you are a contract employee, clause employee, or at-will employee is always important, especially if you have been terminated by your employer.
When to fire an employee for performance problems?
No matter how well you’ve communicated about performance problems with the employee, almost no one believes that they will actually get fired. This is often not without cause as the average employer waits too long to fire a non-performing employee much of the time.