Employee contracts are usually verbal agreements
An employer is under no obligation to provide a written contract to an employee. Most employment relationships are based upon oral representation.
Generally, if you, an employee, do not have a written contract, your employer can fire you at any time for any reason and needs not to give advance warning.
There are exceptions, however. An employer may not fire or discriminate against you based on race, sex, color, disability, religion, etc. or because you made a complaint about the employer to a government agency. A written contract may put additional limits on the employer's ability to fire you.
If you think you have been discriminated against at work, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, or consult with an attorney.
An employer is under no obligation to pay a fired employee for remaining sick days but Illinois law requires that you be paid for accumulated vacation days earned up to the day of termination unless there is a contract or collective bargaining agreement.
The employer is obligated, however, to pay you up to the time of the firing. If your former employer failed to pay you, you can file a wage claim with the Illinois Department of Labor.
Note: This information was prepared as a public service by the Illinois State Bar Association and is a joint project with the Illinois Press Association. Its purpose is to inform citizens of their legal rights and obligations.
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If you have questions about the application of the law in a particular case, consult your lawyer. The law is constantly changing. Information on this site or any site to which we link does not constitute legal advice.