You should seek legal counsel if your employer forces you to resign. Although it can be permitted, employers should be aware of the applicable laws to ensure they act lawfully, and employees should understand their rights to protect them.
Forced resignation can be considered unfair dismissal if your employer deliberately tried to make you resign. If you feel that you are being left with no choice by your employer but to resign, contact your union for advice and support before making a final decision.
California follows an “at-will” employment doctrine, which means that either the employer or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time. However, this doesn't grant employers unlimited power to force resignations.
Constructive discharge. In general, the term "constructive discharge" is when a worker's resignation or retirement may be found not to be voluntary because the employer has created a hostile or intolerable work environment or has applied other forms of pressure or coercion which forced the employee to quit or resign.
The short answer is that an at-will employee is not required to provide two weeks' notice before quitting. Even when there's an offer letter or employee manual that requests an employee to give two weeks' notice before leaving, this doesn't change the at-will status of the employee.
A 2 weeks notice is not necessary to leave a job; It is a courtesy you are giving them. You can freely leave the job any time you choose without informing them of why. A 2 weeks notice can not be refused, as it is not in anyone's power to refuse to let you quit a job.
Your employer can ask you to resign at any time, with or without cause, or notice. California follows the “at-will” employment doctrine, which means that either the employer or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.
In short, no. An employer can't force you to resign. They may ask, but it's pretty inappropriate, and you could just say no.
Under the Labor Code, there are exceptions that allow an employee to resign immediately without serving the 30-day notice period. These situations include: Serious insult by the employer or their representative on the honor and person of the employee. Inhuman and unbearable treatment by the employer.