Texas At-Will Employment Carve-Outs

Texas follows the at-will employment doctrine: either employer or employee may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, except as restricted by contract or statute.

Texas recognizes the Sabine Pilot exception: an employer may not discharge an employee whose only reason for discharge was the employee's refusal to perform an illegal act. This is the ONLY public-policy exception under Texas common law.

Notwithstanding at-will, employees retain protections under federal law (Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA, etc.) and Texas statutes (Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, Texas Payday Law, Texas Workers' Compensation Act anti-retaliation).

At-will status may be modified by a written employment contract, collective bargaining agreement, or in some cases by an explicit oral or implied promise. Manager statements like 'you have a job here for life' can create implied contracts — managers should avoid them.