Employee Handbooks Or Not

If an employment contract does not have a definite duration, it is terminable at will. This is called employment at will. Under the employment at will doctrine, the employer has historically been allowed to terminate the contract at any time for any reason or for no reason. However, written personnel policies used as guidelines for the employee have been interpreted by some courts as restricting the employer's right to discharge at-will employees without just cause. Employee handbooks or personnel manuals have been construed as part of the employee's contract. This is why all personnel manuals and employee handbooks should contain a disclaimer. The attached form is a sample of such a disclaimer.