10 Ridiculous Reasons You Can Be Fired For in Michigan

If there is one massive positive to working in an "at-will employment" state, it's that workers can leave a job comfortably for whatever reason they deem appropriate.

Not getting paid enough? Poor management? Too much drama in the break room? Throw up a peace sign and walk out the door to find somewhere that will fit your needs as an employee better.

Of course, finding that other place is usually the hard part.

An employee could try to leverage their potential departure for more pay or to push for positive change. But what's stopping the company from letting you go and paying someone else the same rate to deal with the same environment?

Naturally, the power goes back to the employer, and their leverage is daunting for workers, especially those in jobs that wouldn't typically be considered a career.

Workers in Michigan deal with these situations every day. As an at-will state, Michigan employers can fire you for nearly any reason at all, and some are downright petty.

Here are just a few examples:

And that's just 10 broad, albeit heavily exaggerated, examples. The list of exceptions is shorter than the list of possible reasons for your employer to fire you.

Michigan employees are protected from being fired for the following reasons and situations:

• You can not be fired for discriminatory factors such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected classes.
• You can not be fired without substantial cause if a written or oral contract negates at-will employment.
• You can not be fired as a form of retaliation, such as reporting poor working conditions or abuse.
• You can not be fired for reasons considered unjust, such as refusing to perform an illegal act.

Naturally, many employers are reasonable enough as to follow the law and be somewhat understanding of personal situations or mistakes. But crummy bosses exist, and we've all worked for one.