Helpful Advice on Employment Contracts
According to the GOV website, “All employees have an employment contract with their employer.”
A contract is an agreement that sets out an employee’s:
- employment conditions
- rights
- responsibilities
- duties
Employees and employers must stick to a contract until it ends by an employer or employee giving notice or an employee being dismissed.
Please Note!
An employment contract does NOT have to be written down – as soon as someone accepts a job offer, they have a contract with their employer.
However, an employer must give employees a document stating the main conditions of employment when they start work. This is known as a ‘written statement of employment particulars’, but is not an employment contract.
We advise that you ask your employer for either a ‘written statement of employment particulars’ or a contract.
If an employee has a problem receiving their written statement, they can:
- Try to solve the problem with their employer informally.
- If this does not work, take out a grievance against their employer (employers can also get advice about handling grievances).
- Take a case to an employment tribunal as a last resort.
In a nutshell, you have a contract once you accept a job, but it does not need to be written down. A ‘written statement of employment particulars’ does!
For further reading, please refer to the GOV website.