Employers, watch out for this trap when you lay people off

“We’re at-will. Just let them go.” Leaders in the U.S. say these words, or something like them, with regularity. Because employment here is generally “at-will,” many assume they can terminate someone for any reason. But that misunderstands what at-will employment means—and what else is at play. An employment decision doesn’t end when someone walks out the door. Even in at-will employment, every termination is judged in three courts: the court of law, the court of social media, and the cour...