Between the Devil, the Deep Blue Sea and At-Will Employment

If you're lucky enough to have a job right now, I've got a question for you - when's the last time you read your employee manual?  I don't mean the cursory skim you give it during orientation, I mean really reading it well enough to understand it.  Chances are you're more worried about keeping a roof over your head than policy and procedure, like I was.  When I was hired, the perky little human resources rep breezed through the manual, glossing over details. I nodded and smiled and planned what I was going to do with the extra couple of hours that all that breezing and glossing saved.  Big mistake.  Now I'm embroiled in a disagreement with my employer over two policies they claim I signed off on. I'm very familiar with the employee manual now - one of the policies isn't in the manual, and the other is written in such vague language that a quantum physicist would have trouble comprehending it.  "At-will" employment basically means that your employer can dictate every aspect of your life, even when you're not on the clock.  They can mandate whether or not you work a part-time job, your activities in civic groups, even whom you associate with after work. It's like signing a deal with the devil.  You get to work, but the company owns you.  Employment is presumed to be "at-will" in every state except Montana (way to go, Montana!). So here's the moral of the story, honeylambs - when you start a new job, read everything before you sign anything. Go over that employee manual with a fine-tooth comb, otherwise you may find yourself losing big chunks of your personal freedom.