I worked as an accountant with the same firm for 20 years — but they locked me out of my laptop, accounts just 30 minutes after I resigned. Do I have a right to feel angry?

Does your employer owe you loyalty?

When you go to work for a company, unless you are in a union or sign a special employment contract, you're an at-will worker. This means employers can let you go any time and for any reason. Your employer's only obligations to you are to follow labor laws and pay you as promised.

Although some companies may genuinely care about workers, they still ultimately must put the best interests of the business first. That explains why your tech may be cut off immediately when you leave. They don't want an employee who resigned to have continued access to client files. Even if you might feel like they can "trust" you, it wouldn't be a smart business move to make policies based on subjective feelings.

It's important not to confuse the relationship with your company as being similar to one you'd have with a friend or partner. You are in a transactional relationship based on your ability to help the business operate, employers will treat you that way, and you should do the same.

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What do you owe your employer?

Just as your employer's obligations to you are limited, so too are your obligations to your employer. You need to come to work as required and do the job you've been hired for.

Beyond that, though, you need to do what's best for you. This means:

Make sure you're recognized and paid for the work you do. If you take on a lot of extra tasks that are beyond the scope of your job, you should get a raise or promotion. If that's not happening, you're just working for free and your employer is taking advantage.

Don't hesitate to look for new career opportunities. Staying put at one company just because you're loyal to it could mean missing out on jobs that pay more and offer you more growth opportunities.

Take your vacation time. If you get paid vacation, don't leave that benefit on the table. Giving up the leisure time you're entitled to just allows the company to effectively pay you less since your time off is part of your salary package.

You can like your employer, and ideally, you will, but you have to remember that you only have one career. Your company is ultimately going to choose the success of the business over you— and you need to choose your own success — even if that sometimes means moving on from a job or demanding your company offer what you're worth.