Gavel Insight

In Mississippi, as in many other states, at-will employment is a foundational concept within the state's employment law framework. At-will employment means that an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, except for an illegal one, without having to establish just cause and without warning, as long as the reason is not prohibited by law. At-will employment appears straightforward, but its application garners significant scrutiny, especially when the termination might border on the violation of various federal, state, or local laws designed to protect workers. These protections cover a variety of areas including discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination within certain protected categories. One of the most prominent pieces of legislation that provides the broader base for exceptions to the at-will employment doctrine is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This federal law prohibits employers from dismissing employees based on race, color, reli...