Hiring and firing employees in the USA: What foreign companies need to know

Our series of Global Mobility video blogs looks at the different issues that will impact international companies moving people across borders or involved in human resources issues in different countries. In this second video blog about employment law, we take a look at the situation in the U.S. with Chris Blake, partner at Hahn Loeser in Cleveland, Ohio, providing some key insights that companies need to be aware of. 

"Foreign companies coming to the U.S. would be surprised to know that when they want to let employees go, it is a fairly easy process," says Chris Blake, a Cleveland attorney and member of Alliott Group's Global Mobility Services Group. 

Watch a short video on the basics of employment law in the U.S.

Dismissal on a moment's notice

Blake adds: "In the majority of states, there are at-will employment laws, meaning the employment is literally at-will, and those employees can be discharged on a moment's notice. 

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Certain restrictions apply

Employers do need to make certain however that the discharge is not for the wrong reasons: "Employers can't discriminate based on gender, race, age, or sexual orientation in some states," adds Blake.

But short of those discriminatory practices, foreign companies should realise that "at-will employment means at-will!" concludes Blake. 

For more information about employment law in Ohio

In the first instance, please contact Chris Blake, partner at Hahn Loeser in Cleveland.