Can my boss fire me for not reaching a goal that he personally set for me?
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Can my boss fire me for not reaching a goal that he personally set for me?
My boss has threatened to fire me and my department manager if I/ we do not reach the personal sales goal that he has set for me. I am on straight commission. We have tried to reason with him. We have shared and can prove that we are trying to reach the goal but there are outside circumstances that are beyond our control. We cannot force customers to buy. Can he do this? He constantly threatens and pits one person or department against another.
Asked on July 14, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, South Carolina
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you are an "at will" employee your employer can fire you for this reason or any reason at all; even no reason. The fact is that an employer can set the terms of a working relationship as it sees fit - it can hire/fire, increase/decrease salary/hours, or impose any other job requirements it chooses. This holds true unless there is an employment contract or union agreement to the contrary, or your employer's actions violates its own company policy. Additional, no form of actionable discrimination can play a role in your treatment.
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