Employment Contract - At-Will

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

Alaska hiring agreement and wage notice

This At-Will Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into as of [__/__/____] by and between:

• Employer: [EMPLOYER LEGAL NAME], a [ENTITY TYPE], with an address at [EMPLOYER ADDRESS] (“Employer”); and
• Employee: [EMPLOYEE LEGAL NAME], residing at [EMPLOYEE ADDRESS] (“Employee”).

Employer and Employee are each a “Party” and together the “Parties.”

1. Position and Start Date

1.1 Position. Employer employs Employee as [JOB TITLE], reporting to [SUPERVISOR/TITLE].

1.2 Start Date. Employment begins on [__/__/____].

1.3 Primary Work Location. [WORKSITE ADDRESS / REMOTE-WORK LOCATION].

1.4 Duties. Employee will perform the duties described in Exhibit A and other reasonably related duties assigned by Employer. Employee will comply with lawful instructions and written workplace policies.

1.5 Schedule. The anticipated schedule is [DAYS AND HOURS]. The established workday begins at [TIME] and ends 24 hours later. The established workweek begins on [DAY/TIME] and ends seven consecutive days later.

2. At-Will Relationship

2.1 At-Will Employment. Employment is at will. Subject to applicable law, any collective bargaining agreement, and the express payment obligations in this Agreement, either Party may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without advance notice or cause.

2.2 No Fixed Term. A stated start date, compensation rate, review cycle, bonus opportunity, or anticipated schedule does not create employment for a fixed term.

2.3 No Oral Modification. No oral statement changes the at-will relationship. Any agreement for a fixed employment term must be in a separate writing signed by Employee and [AUTHORIZED EMPLOYER OFFICER].

2.4 Lawful Reasons Only. Nothing in this Agreement authorizes discrimination, retaliation, interference with protected leave or wage rights, or termination prohibited by Alaska or federal law.

3. Alaska Wage Notice and Compensation

3.1 Required Hiring Information

3.2 Minimum Wage. Compensation will not be less than the applicable Alaska minimum wage. As of July 1, 2026, the Alaska minimum wage is $14.00 per hour, subject to later statutory adjustment and any valid exemption.

3.3 Overtime. Unless a valid exemption or statutory exclusion applies, Employer will pay overtime at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over eight in a workday or over forty straight-time hours in a workweek, without double-counting the same hours.

3.4 Salary Does Not Decide Exemption. Selecting salary compensation does not by itself make Employee exempt. Employer must document and periodically review the applicable salary-basis, salary-level, duties, and coverage requirements.

3.5 Time Records. Employee will accurately record all daily and weekly hours worked. Employer remains responsible for maintaining the records required by law and paying for all work it suffers or permits.

3.6 Changes. Employer may prospectively change compensation or payroll terms only after providing the written notice required by AS 23.05.160. Notice of a rate, payday, or payment-place change must be given on the payday before the change takes effect; no change will be retroactive.

3.7 Deductions. Employer may make deductions required by law or authorized in a valid written agreement. No deduction will reduce wages below applicable minimum-wage or overtime requirements or include a category prohibited by 8 AAC 15.160.

3.8 Optional Compensation. Employee may be eligible for the following, subject to the controlling written plan or award:

• ☐ Discretionary bonus: [TERMS]
• ☐ Commission: [ATTACH COMMISSION PLAN]
• ☐ Equity award: [ATTACH PLAN/GRANT]
• ☐ Other: [DESCRIPTION]

No optional payment is earned or vested except as stated in its controlling written terms and applicable law.

4. Benefits and Leave

4.1 Benefit Plans. Employee may participate in benefit plans for which Employee is eligible, subject to the controlling plan documents. Employer may amend or discontinue a plan only as permitted by those documents and applicable law.

4.2 Alaska Paid Sick Leave. Employer will provide paid sick leave meeting or exceeding AS 23.10.066–23.10.069 and the implementing regulations. Covered employees accrue at least one hour for every thirty hours worked. The annual accrual-and-use cap is at least forty hours for employers with fewer than fifteen full-time-equivalent employees and at least fifty-six hours for employers with fifteen or more, subject to statutory exemptions and lawful frontloading or carryover rules.

4.3 Other PTO, Vacation, and Severance. Alaska law does not independently require vacation, holiday, or severance pay. Any such benefit is governed by [POLICY/PLAN NAME AND DATE]. The policy must state whether unused balances are payable at separation. Employer will follow its written promise.

4.4 Protected Rights. Nothing in this Agreement limits leave, accommodation, benefit, reporting, organizing, wage, safety, workers’ compensation, unemployment, or anti-retaliation rights that cannot lawfully be waived.

5. Confidential Information and Work Product

5.1 Confidential Information. Employee will use Employer’s nonpublic business information only for authorized work and will protect it from unauthorized disclosure. This duty does not cover information lawfully known without restriction, independently developed without Employer information, publicly available without breach, or lawfully reported or disclosed to a government agency, attorney, or court.

5.2 Protected Activity. Nothing in this Agreement prohibits Employee from discussing wages or working conditions, reporting suspected violations, participating in an investigation, making protected disclosures, or receiving a government award where law permits.

5.3 Work Product. To the extent permitted by law, Employee assigns to Employer work product created within the scope of employment or using Employer resources and will sign reasonable documents confirming ownership. Preexisting works listed in Exhibit B and works created entirely outside the scope of employment without Employer resources or confidential information are excluded unless separately assigned.

5.4 No Embedded Restrictive Covenant. This Agreement does not impose a post-employment noncompetition or nonsolicitation covenant. Any proposed restrictive covenant must be separately drafted, supported by the actual protectable interest, and reviewed by Alaska counsel before signature.

6. Separation

6.1 Notice of Separation. A Party ending employment should give written notice stating the effective date, although advance notice is not required for an at-will separation unless another binding agreement or law requires it.

6.2 Final Wages. If Employer terminates employment, all wages, salary, and other compensation for services are due within three working days after termination. If Employee resigns, payment is due on the next regular payday that is at least three days after Employer receives notice of the resignation. Employer will pay undisputed wages without conditioning payment on a release.

6.3 Accrued Benefits. Employer will pay vacation, PTO, bonus, commission, or severance amounts only to the extent earned and payable under the controlling written policy, plan, or agreement. Statutory paid sick leave will be handled under current law and Employer’s compliant policy.

6.4 Return of Property. By [DATE/TIME], Employee will return Employer property and information, except records Employee is legally entitled to keep. Final wages will not be withheld because property remains outstanding; any lawful recovery or deduction must follow a separate authorized process.

6.5 Return Transportation Review. ☐ Employer provided, paid for, or agreed to provide transportation from the place of hire to the work location. Before separation, Employer will determine and satisfy any return-transportation duty under AS 23.10.380 and 8 AAC 20.030. ☐ Not applicable.

6.6 Continuing Terms. Sections 5, 6, and 7 survive only to the extent their subject matter requires and the provision remains lawful.

7. Compliance and General Terms

7.1 Equal Employment Opportunity. Employer will administer this Agreement without unlawful discrimination or retaliation, including conduct prohibited by AS 18.80.220.

7.2 No Waiver of Earned Wages. No release, setoff, damages clause, handbook term, or property-return condition waives earned wages or other nonwaivable rights.

7.3 Policies and Plan Documents. Policies and plans supplement this Agreement but do not alter at-will status unless a signed writing expressly says otherwise. If a benefit-plan document conflicts with this Agreement on plan administration, the plan document controls to the extent permitted by law.

7.4 Governing Law and Forum. Alaska law governs. Subject to any separately executed and enforceable arbitration agreement, an action relating to this Agreement may be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in [ALASKA JUDICIAL DISTRICT / LOCATION].

7.5 Arbitration. No arbitration, jury waiver, class waiver, or fee-shifting term is created by this Agreement. Any such term must appear in a separate, counsel-reviewed agreement signed by both Parties.

7.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and its identified exhibits contain the complete agreement on the subjects they address. They supersede prior statements on those subjects but do not waive statutory rights.

7.7 Amendment. Except for prospective changes made through legally sufficient wage notice or through controlling benefit-plan procedures, an amendment must be in writing and signed by both Parties.

7.8 Severability. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be severed or narrowed only to the extent a court permits, without expanding any restraint on Employee.

7.9 Electronic Signatures. Counterparts and electronic signatures may be used to the extent permitted by applicable law.

8. Acknowledgments and Signatures

By signing, each Party acknowledges that the completed wage terms in Section 3 are accurate as of the hiring date and that Employee received a copy of this Agreement and the following materials:

• ☐ Job description (Exhibit A)
• ☐ Preexisting works list (Exhibit B)
• ☐ Paid sick leave policy and notice
• ☐ PTO/vacation policy
• ☐ Commission, bonus, or equity plan identified above
• ☐ Employee handbook
• ☐ Other required notices: [LIST]

Sources and References

• Alaska Legislature, current Title 23 PDF (AS 23.05.140, AS 23.05.160, AS 23.10.060, AS 23.10.065–.069, AS 23.10.380): https://www.akleg.gov/statutesPDF/Title-23.pdf
• Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, General Industry Wage and Hour Guidance (Feb. 5, 2026): https://labor.alaska.gov/lss/forms/General-Industry.pdf?q=020526
• Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave FAQ: https://www.labor.alaska.gov/lss/sick-leave-faq.html
• Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, “At will employment” definition: https://labor.alaska.gov/unemployment/ui-defined.htm
• Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, Quick Facts for Employers (AS 18.80.220): https://humanrights.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Quick-Facts-for-Employers.pdf
• National Labor Relations Board, Employee Rights and Protected Concerted Activity: https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employee-rights