Got Fired From Work For Doing A Side Job
I’ve been installing fiberglass pools for 2 years now with a fairly big pool company, the other day I got fired because I needed extra money so I went and found two pool jobs on my own to do on the weekends (one was for my neighbor) they couldn’t afford the price of the company i’m working for so I gave them a good price and got the contract signed. Word leaked to my boss at the company and I was terminated for not giving them the job even though my neighbor and other home-owner couldn’t afford there price. Would this be a illegal act of firing?
Answer: You can get fired for any reason so long as it’s not an illegal reason (discriminatory) no matter how unfair or stupid it may seem. However, what YOU did was illegal. You don’t say where you live, but in CA, it is illegal to contract without a license if the job is over $500. Do you have a contractor’s license?
Do you have an employee manual? If so, does it say you can’t do side jobs? Still, even if you try to get unemployment, UE is a state agency and they may end up reporting you to the contractor’s license board. You may have screwed up. But, you can always click here to get a consultation with an attorney in your area to find out if there is anything you can do.
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One Response to Got Fired From Work For Doing A Side Job
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If your company told you they were firing you for doing 2 side jobs and there is no express company policy forbidding it, you probably do have a case and a right to unemployment compensation (at least under the laws of my state). I am an employer and I can hire and fire, but if I fire someone for a reason that is not forbidden under my company’s policy, that employee has a cause of action against me. If your employer was smart, he would not have given you any reason for termination. Since I don’t know if your company had a written policy against outside jobs, I can’t tell you if you have a case, but these are the determinative facts. "At will" employment is a tricky subject. It does mean you can be fired for no cause, but if the employer gives you a reason, the company is in legal difficulty if the reason is incorrect or insufficient. I should disclose I’m an attorney and I do personnel law for employers. I advise the non-government clients to never give a reason unless they can prove: 1) it’s correct and 2) forbidden by a written policy.