I was expecting to see far more feedback from incredulous Americans in "at-will" states undergoing employment culture shock. It's nice to see that the Canadian point of view translates so well.
I'd expect the converse. The harder it is to fire someone; the more paranoid you get about the hiring process.
Even at will states are subject to federal employment laws. We may get no parental leave, but the ADA has been quite enforceable.
At-will employment doesn't overrule anti-discrimination laws, does it?
I'd expect that employees working in "at-will" states would be less likely to take a stand against their employers, even if the law were in their favour.
ps. I'd love to be wrong about this...
That's probably true in general, although if you don't get hired due to discrimination and then sue, usually you avoid the conflict by asking for a cash settlement instead of a job.
There are far fewer protected classes in most US jurisdictions than in canada. E.g You can be fired for being gay in most states.
FYI, all American states are at-will states, though different states have different exceptions to it.