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  Employment law in Missouri presumes that employment is at-will. This means that either the employer or the employee can terminate the employment arrangement at any time or for any reason that is not illegal. Missouri state labor laws and federal law specify grounds employers may not use to make employment decisions. Employers also cannot refuse to hire or promote someone for illegal reasons. The employer may not be able to terminate employment if there is a written employment agreement specifying the period of employment or limiting the reasons for termination.
  
  

Illegal Reasons

• Employers may not refuse to hire or promote an employee or to terminate an employee because of the age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, or pregnancy of the employee. It is also illegal for a Missouri employer to refuse to hire or promote an employee or to terminate an employee because the employee refuses to break a law, files a discrimination or safety complaint, or takes leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers must follow the procedures and policies they set out. So, if an employer publishes an employee handbook and gives it to employees or posts policies on a bulletin board or website, then the employer must follow those policies in all employment actions. Contract law requires employers to honor the provisions of written employment contracts.
  
  

Safety

• Employers are required under federal and Missouri law to provide a reasonably safe workplace. Workers who are injured or become ill in the workplace can get compensation through the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation.
  
  

Sexual Harassment

• Employees can bring legal actions against employers if there is sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment can include sexual conduct like suggestions or touching by the employer, a suggestion that job advancement or benefits could be exchanged for sexual favors, or if the employer maintains a sexual work environment where the employee is subjected to harassment.
  
  

Family and Medical Leave

• Any employee of a covered Missouri employer who has worked for at least 12 months for a total of at least 1250 hours in that 12-month period is allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical and family reasons. While they are on leave, employees will retain their medical benefits and must be restored to their original positions when they return to work. Covered employers include all state and local government employers, all federal employers, and all private employers engaged in interstate commerce that employ 50 or more employees for at least 20 weeks in a calendar year.