594 – At-Will Employment with Claudia St. John
The How of Business - How to start, run, grow and exit a small business.
Henry Lopez, Levante Business Group
4.7 • 522 Ratings
🗓️ 26 January 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What At-Will Employment really means for small business owners.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/594-claudia-stjohn-at-will-employment/
At-will employment gives small business owners flexibility, but misunderstandings around documentation, retaliation, and protected classes can quickly turn a termination into a lawsuit.
Most small business owners believe "at-will employment" means they can fire an employee at any time for any reason, but that misunderstanding is one of the fastest paths to an expensive legal dispute.
In this episode, Henry Lopez is joined by returning guest Claudia St. John, founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors, to break down what at-will employment really means under U.S. law. They explain why at-will employment is not a free pass to terminate employees without consequences, and how common mistakes (like poor documentation, vague termination explanations, and retaliation) create legal risk even when the employer's decision was justified.
Claudia shares real-world examples from her HR consulting practice, emphasizing why documentation of performance issues is critical, how progressive discipline policies can accidentally undermine at-will status, and why honesty during termination conversations actually reduces lawsuits. As Claudia notes, "If an employee is surprised, they're far more likely to sue."
Henry and Claudia also discuss employee handbooks, offer letters, EPLI insurance, and when small businesses should consider professional HR support.
This episode is a must-listen for any business owner who manages employees and wants to reduce risk while still leading with fairness and professionalism.
Claudia St. John is a keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors, a national HR consulting firm that helps small and mid-sized businesses navigate compliance, hiring, and employee management with practical, evidence-based guidance.
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the How of Business with your host, Henry Lopez, the podcast that helps you start, run, and grow your small business. |
| 0:13.4 | And now, here is your host. |
| 0:15.5 | Welcome to this episode of The Howl of Business. |
| 0:17.3 | This is Henry Lopez. |
| 0:18.4 | And my return guest is Claudia St. John. Claudia, |
| 0:21.8 | welcome back to the show. Thank you so much. I'm delighted to be back. Absolutely. |
| 0:26.0 | You know, most small business owners, including myself, I want to talk about the specific topic of |
| 0:30.2 | at-will employment. And it means typically that you can hire and fire anyone at any time, |
| 0:36.1 | but there's lots of misunderstandings, and |
| 0:39.2 | it's one of, as I've observed, and Claudia will share her experiences as well, one of potentially |
| 0:44.5 | the fastest way we can end up in a costly dispute or maybe even a lawsuit. Claudia joins me today, |
| 0:49.7 | and she is the founder of the workplace advisors. I'll tell you a little bit more about her and her background. |
| 0:55.7 | But before we get started, you can find everything about the Hawa Business, |
| 0:59.1 | including the resources, links that we mentioned today, |
| 1:02.0 | and to find out more about my one-on-one and group coaching programs, |
| 1:05.7 | just visit the howabusiness.com. |
| 1:08.0 | Also to invite you to consider supporting this podcast and joining the Howa Business |
| 1:12.2 | Community on Patreon and subscribe wherever you might be listening so you don't miss any new episodes. |
| 1:17.7 | Let me tell you a little bit more about Claudia. Claudia S. John is a keynote speaker, |
| 1:21.9 | bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of the Workplace Advisors, which is a leading HR |
| 1:27.4 | consulting, recruiting, |
| 1:28.9 | and training firms specializing and equipping businesses with the consulting and support |
... |
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