Opinion ID: 2613491
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the employee was an at-will employee.

Text: The employee asserts that she was not an at-will employee. We disagree. Unless there is a contract that specifies the duration of employment or limits termination, employment is at-will. Mitchell v. Zilog, Inc., 125 Idaho 709, 712, 874 P.2d 520, 523 (1994). Limitations on the employment relationship will be implied when, from all the circumstances surrounding the relationship, a reasonable person could conclude that both parties intended that either party's right to terminate the relationship was limited by the implied in fact agreement. Id. The employee contends that she was more than an at-will employee because (1) the employer has a fair employment practices policy; and (2) the employer had agreed to maintain her employment in Boise. The Idaho code of fair employment practices (the policy) is a grievance procedure by which an employee who feels discriminated against may file a petition with the chair of the employer's board of directors. Under the policy, the employer or a person designated by the employer reviews the allegations and determines the appropriate action. The policy does not in any way limit the employer's right to terminate an employee. Therefore, it does not change the employee's status as an at-will employee. The supervisor gave the employee a note stating that the position was located in Boise only, and the director told the employee that the position would remain in Boise for as long as he was the executive director. Also, the job description states that the employee's position is located in Boise. The director later determined that Denver was a more appropriate location for the position because of its central location and status as an airport hub city. All employees of the employer are non-classified employees and are therefore not entitled to the protection of the Idaho personnel system act. I.C. § 67-5303( o ). I.C. § 22-1207(3) grants the employer the power and duty [t]o employ and at its pleasure discharge an advertising manager, agents, advertising agencies and such other help as it deems necessary and to outline their powers and duties and fix their compensation. This statute circumscribes the employer's power to contract with its employee's for any form of employment other than at-will employment. Regardless of any representations of the director or the supervisor, this negates any employment by the employee other than at-will employment.