Legal Question in Employment Law in Massachusetts
What is my contractual obligation?
My current employer had me sign a letter/contract when I was hired stating the offer of employment and the conditions. I now want to leave my job to take a new position, and I have not been at my job for the entire period stated in this letter. I am wondering what legal obligation I am under to remain at my job for the entire time indicated on the contract. The contract does not state specifically that I must not leave my job before the end date indicated; it merely offers me the position under the ''following terms and conditions'', which include the dates of employment, salary, and description of position. I signed where it says that I accept the terms and conditions. What is my legal obligation to my employer?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: What is my contractual obligation?
It is a good question and although I can give you some guidelines, I can't give you a definitive answer without looking over the Agreement. For the most part, these agreements do not usually require the employee to stay for the entire term, although that is not always the case. Some agreements nowadays (particularly in cases where a person is here on an H1-B visa) include terms that require the employee to repay certain expenses if they do not stay for a set period of time. I have also seen a lot of agreements that require an employee to repay a signing bonus or relocation costs if they leave before a certain time. Other than that, the question is really whether or not the Agreement alters your status as an at-will employee. If it doesn't, you are most likely in the clear.
Evan
Re: What is my contractual obligation?
You can't ask a lawyer to interpret a legal document without having them look at the entire document. Therefore, I suggest you fax it to a lawyer for review and comment. That's the only way you're going to get any opinion worth relying on.
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