Will you be contacting my employer?

No, under normal circumstances, we won't, and neither will the life insurance carrier (the financial company behind your life insurance policy).  This answer may come as a surprise, since on your life insurance application, you are required to provide information regarding your occupation and employer.  (No, you don't need to be employed in order to purchase life insurance.)

Why do life insurance companies require information on your employment, then?  The fact is that in the case of an unusual application or claim (such as a death claim filed within the first year of the policy or an application for an extremely large amount of coverage) the insurer may investigate any of the information you provided on your application, in order to ensure that no fraud is committed.  This may include contacting your employer.

Furthermore, even if your employer is never contacted, the information you provide about your employment often gives the insurer a clue as to the loss-vs.-indemnity relationship of the policy (if you are the insured party).

An exception to the foregoing answer is in the event that your employer is owner or part-owner in the policy (as in business life insurance or split-dollar life insurance).  Then, of course, your employer will be contacted, but only for the sake of signing contracts which a policy owner must normally sign.