Legal Definitions - employee

An employee is a person who works for an employer. They are hired to do a job and are paid for their work. The employer has the right to tell the employee what to do and how to do it. This is called a contract of hire.

• John works at a grocery store. He is an employee of the store and is paid to stock shelves and help customers.
• Samantha is a teacher at a school. She is an employee of the school and is paid to teach students.
• Mark is a freelance writer. He is not an employee of any company, but is hired by clients to write articles.

The first two examples illustrate employees who work for a company or organization. They have a contract of hire and are paid for their work. The third example is not an employee because Mark is not hired by a company. He is self-employed and works for himself.