I guess I just naively assumed there'd still be some level of notice required. It seems that you can literally walk out of a job in an at-will state with no recourse.
It's surprising to me because in the UK every employment relationship is governed by a contract that stipulates some level of notice. We don't have employment protections until 2 years of service - essentially after 2 years getting rid of an employee becomes quite onerous - but even from day 1 you have a notice period (which works both ways).
I'm surprised companies in California don't get their employees to sign some sort of contracted notice - it can be incredibly disruptive to lose a key employee overnight! It feels like companies here want every longer notice periods - mine is currently 3 months and I'm not even sure why. It works both ways though - even if my employer wanted to get rid of me, they'd have to pay me for 3 months.
It's surprising to me because in the UK every employment relationship is governed by a contract that stipulates some level of notice. We don't have employment protections until 2 years of service - essentially after 2 years getting rid of an employee becomes quite onerous - but even from day 1 you have a notice period (which works both ways).
I'm surprised companies in California don't get their employees to sign some sort of contracted notice - it can be incredibly disruptive to lose a key employee overnight! It feels like companies here want every longer notice periods - mine is currently 3 months and I'm not even sure why. It works both ways though - even if my employer wanted to get rid of me, they'd have to pay me for 3 months.