Why in the US you can be fired at any time

In the United States, the relationship between employer and employee is practically not regulated by law, so you may well find out in the morning about your dismissal - and before lunch you will be forced to remove all your belongings from the workplace. User of the community "Pickabushniks of North America" ​​under the nickname Diaver spoke about the labor code in the United States, or rather, about its absence.

Фото: Depositphotos

The USA is a country in which the main approach to lawmaking is a minimum of regulations. It is believed that legislative restrictions should be minimal and only in those areas in which it is impossible without these restrictions (such as medicine, the army, etc.). This approach also affects the regulation of relationships between employer and employee. There are very, very few legal restrictions.

The most important of these restrictions:

— The salary should not be lower than the minimum. It varies from state to state, but on average it's about 8 bucks an hour, for California it's a little over 10 bucks an hour, as far as I know.

— 10 working days of vacation per year. In good companies, such leave can be 20 working days. In advanced companies from Silicon Valley, there may be no restrictions on the length of vacation at all - you go on vacation for how many days you need.

- No discrimination on any grounds. Any discrimination is severely punished, including through the judicial system. If, for example, you were fired because you are gay and openly admit it, then this will be a big gift for any lawyer and very large financial and reputational losses for the company.

All other interaction rules are described in a separate agreement between the employee and the employer.

Since there are almost no legal restrictions, the employer may, for example, ask you to work on weekends, and most likely you will not be paid anything extra. You, of course, can refuse and thereby jeopardize your position, and being fired in the states also means losing health insurance from your employer, without which it is cheaper to die.

Фото: Depositphotos

At will

As a rule, these agreements are marked “at will” - this means that the agreement can be terminated at any time by either party. That is, you can be fired at any time, for any reason. This leads to people, especially in low-skilled jobs, being quite worried about losing their job. This is one of the reasons why in the states it is impossible or almost impossible to encounter rudeness/rudeness among service workers, including in state-owned companies.

For example, if you asked for help from a store consultant, but he did not help you and waved it away, then this is quite enough for the employee to be fired.

An example from life.

One of my friends in Chicago bought a car. After the purchase, he received a call from the head office asking how everything went and whether he was pleased. He replied that the manager was so-so, and he didn’t really like working with him. After some time, he was called back and was told in a joyful voice that the manager who had sold the car to him was dismissed and a new personal manager was appointed to him.

The same point “at will” also works in the other direction: anyone can quit at any time. For example, if your boss annoys you, then you simply say that you are quitting - and tomorrow you will not be at work. No one can force you to work another two weeks.

Фото: Depositphotos

Maternity leave

Again, if this clause is not separately described in the individual agreement, then there is no special maternity leave. Typically, women are given a couple of months only after giving birth to recover and go to work. In such cases, American families either find a nanny who will sit with the child, or (if the woman’s salary does not cover the costs of the nanny), the woman becomes a housewife. There are no state kindergartens, no nurseries either. Private nurseries cost 1000-1500 bucks a month for one baby, the nanny is about the same. My colleagues, as a rule, have two or three children in the family, and the woman does not work.

Is everything so bad?

This approach in the field of labor relations was formed a very long time ago and has both its negative sides in the form of low social protection of the population, and positive ones in the form of labor quality and productivity, because if an employee does not try to do his job as efficiently and effectively as possible, then his can be fired at any time.

Read also on ForumDaily:

As a Russian voluntarily refused to work in the United States

How to retire in the US in 33, with three young children and $ 1,3 million savings

How one rash post on the social network can destroy a successful career

13 errors that will lead to failure in an interview in the US

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.