And that's assuming you even get a formal contract. I don't have one. Never have, and neither has my wife. When you're not explicitly working as a contractor,

And that's assuming you even get a formal contract. I don't have one. Never have, and neither has my wife. When you're not explicitly working as a contractor, it's quite common in the US to have no explicit contract of employment. You're hired, you're on the payroll, you have a job description, but the only things governing your relationship with your employer are the policies of whoever hired you and whatever laws are relevant to where you and they are.