When someone quits a job immediately, it can be very problematic for the business. If an executive simply walks away, for instance, there may not be any leadership in place to guide the company. This can be detrimental to the owner and to all of the employees who are still there.
However, most employees simply operate under at-will employment laws. In accordance with these laws, employees do not have to provide any notice. They can leave whenever they want. The other side of this is that the employer can fire them at any time, and they can also do so without notice. At-will employment works both ways. But does this mean a business is always at risk of having top-level employees walk away without warning?
Many executives have employment contracts
What you will often find is that lower-level workers will be at-will employees, but executives will have contracts. There may not be any laws requiring them to give notice before they quit, but it can create a legal issue if they sign a contract and then violate that contract by not adhering to the stipulations. The contract can require them to give advance notice, giving them legal obligations that go beyond the employment laws within the state.
Of course, exactly how these employment contracts are written makes a big difference, and it is possible for disputes to arise when two sides do not agree on how employees are allowed to operate. In situations like this, it’s important for all involved to know what legal steps to take.