• Termination is not a plesent experience.Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States has an employment-at-will policy, meaning that employers do not necessarily need a reason to terminate you. Although they do not always need a reason, employers usually have good reason when terminating an employee. There are many reasons why people get fired.
  
  

Job Performance

• If you come to work each day, work hard and are an exemplary employee, your job performance will not cause your termination. On the other hand, if while you are at work, you put your feet up on your desk and relax instead of working, you may very well get fired for poor job performance.
  
  

Excessive Tardiness/Absence

• Punctuality and presence are important to any employer. If you show up late to work or call in sick on a regular basis, it may result in your termination. Oftentimes, employers give their employees warnings before terminating them for excessive tardiness or absence, especially if the employee is talented and skilled at his work. If the behavior continues after the warnings are given, termination will most likely result.
  
  

Insubordination

• Your boss has the title "boss" for a reason. You are supposed to follow the instruction she gives you. If you ignore your boss's instruction or refuse to follow her direction on a consistent basis, you are being insubordinate. Insubordination shows a lack of respect for your employer and will most likely result in your termination.
  
  

Other Misconduct

• Poor job performance, excessive tardiness and absence and insubordination are all forms of misconduct. There are other forms of misconduct that can also get you fired. Treating your co-workers poorly, having poor hygiene, sexual harassment or using drugs or alcohol (on the job) are also things you can do that will cause your termination.
  
  

Theft or Crime

• If you steal property from your employer or commit a crime against your employer, you will be terminated. You can also be terminated if you steal property or commit a crime against someone else and your employer gains knowledge of your crime.
  
  

Layoff and Employment at Will

• Employers are allowed to "downsize" or "lay off" employees, simply because it is in the company's best financial interest to do so. According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), you can be fired for good cause, bad cause or no cause at all with some exceptions. The public policy exception is recognized in 43 out of the 50 states and says that an employer cannot terminate you if it is "against an explicit, well-established public policy of the state," according to the BLS. For example, you cannot be terminated because you filed a workman's compensation case after being injured on the job. The implied-contract exception is upheld in 38 out of 50 states and it prohibits termination if your employer guarantees you a certain degree of job security. For example, if your employer tells you that you will receive three warnings before termination and you have not received any warnings, and you have done nothing wrong, your employer could not fire you without cause. The covenant-of-good-faith exception is only recognized by 11 out of the 50 states and it prohibits termination without "just cause," made in "bad faith" or motivated by malice, according to the BLS.
  
  

Wrongful (Unlawful) Termination

• "The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information," according to the EEOC. This means you cannot be terminated based on these factors that are out of your control.