New Job, New Employment Contract…What does it all mean?
Written by Leah Waller
Senior Employment Consultant Solicitor
So, you have just got a new job (or maybe a promotion!) and received a new Employment Contract, but what does it all mean and what should you be looking out for?
The following checklist gives you a quick guide for what to look out for…
- Party Details
Your Employer’s details (full name of the company) and their address should be given. This is extremely important and could be crucial should you ever need to bring a claim against them.
- Start Date
The date on which your employment began, or is due to begin. This is important as it may be important in establishing whether you are entitled to bring certain claims against the employer, should it be necessary.
- Continuous Employment
Your Employment Contract should state whether any previous employment with the Company or any Associated Company counts towards your continuous period of employment. This will be important in establishing whether you are entitled to bring certain claims against the employer, should it be necessary.
As an Employee, you will want your period of continuous employment to be as long as possible and so you will need to ensure that any previous work that should be included is included.
- Permanent or Temporary?
Your Employment Contract should state whether the position is permanent, for a fixed term or for just a temporary basis.
- Place of Work
Your Employment Contract should state where you are expected to carry out your role from. The contract may also state that this can be changed by your Employer (with or without notice), where the place of work could change to, and whether there is any flexibility as to the place of work (home working etc.).
- Job Title & Description
Your Job Title should be given and your Employment Contract may also give a description of the work and duties that you will be required to undertake as part of your role.
- Pay
This is the section that most of us will go to first!
Your Employment Contract should state:
- the amount that you will be paid (whether this be a salary, day rate, hourly rate or otherwise);
- when you will be paid (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, four-weekly or otherwise); and
- how you will be paid (bank transfer will be most common but this may be by cheque or other means).
Check that this is in line with what you were expecting.
- Working Hours
Your Employment Contract should state the days and times that you are expected to work (or whether this is flexible) and the number of hours, or period of time, you are expected to work.
- Holiday
After checking that your pay is as you were expecting, the holiday section is probably the next section that most of us will be drawn to!
Your Employment Contract should state how much holiday you are entitled to and when your holiday year begins (this may not always be from the 1st of January each year).
- Pension Scheme
Details of your Company Pension Scheme should be included within your Employment Contract.
- Sickness Absence
You will need to know what to do in the event that you are unable to attend work due to sickness, injury or incapacity and so your Employment Contract should state this along with the payment details for any absence.
- Notice Period
Your Employment Contract should state what period of notice you are required to give to bring your employment to an end, as well as the period of notice you are entitled to receive from your Employer if they want to terminate your employment.
This period may change depending on whether this occurs during your probation period, or how long you have been employed. The notice period may also differ depending whether you are giving, or receiving, the notice.
- Post Termination restrictions
Your Employment Contract may well state restrictions that will apply following the termination of your employment with the company.
Check these carefully to ensure that these are not too restrictive for you and that you are able to adhere to them should your employment with this company come to an end. If you are in doubt…seek legal advice, these could cause a lot more trouble at the end of your employment!
Seeking legal advice at the outset of your employment may seem unnecessary, especially when you are excited about starting a new role, BUT if there is anything that you are unsure about, or just have a gut feeling that something doesn’t seem right, then give our specialist Employment team a call.
If you would like a FREE consultation with our Employment Team please contact us on
Info@GreystoneSolicitors.co.uk or 01582 343453