How does Georgia's "At-Will" employment work, and how is it legal?

Employment at will is a common-law doctrine that has its origins in the late middle ages/early rennaisance period in England. Under the doctrine, an employee is not required to remain with an employer and can quit without any justification, and an employer is not required to keep an employee if it doesn't desire to do so. Georgia inherited this law when the colonies broke with England in 1776. An employer does not need a reason to terminate an employee. It has followed this law since it first began as a colony and later as a state. However an employer can change that "at will" status by creating a contract with the employee under which it limits its discretion to terminate the employee so that it may only do so for certain reasons. If the employer terminates the employee for any reason other than those listed in the contract, the employer can be liable for breach of contract. Federal law also limits the reasons why an employer may terminate an employee by forbidding covered employers from terminating employees because of the employee's race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age (40 and over), disability (if the employee is qualified for the job and disabled), membership in the armed forces, status as  a veteran, membership in or activities on behalf of a union, engagement in protected concerted activity. It also prohibits employers from terminating or otherwise making adverse employment decisions about employees in retaliation for their having filed charges with a federal agency claiming unlawful discrimination under any federal labor laws.     Michael A. Caldwell 404-979-3154