Our employment lawyers advise both employees and employers on contractual issues and negotiate contract terms both on entry into a role and on exit, in the context of settlement discussions and settlement agreements.
It is a legal requirement for all employees to have a written statement of certain particulars of employment within two months of starting a job. These particulars include terms relating to
- pay
- holidays
- place of work
- working hours.
However, employers will often wish to add a great many other terms in order to protect their business, particularly in senior executive service agreements. These may include terms on
- directors duties
- not having any outside business interests
- intellectual property
- not competing with the company after termination.
The ACAS statutory code requires employers to have written procedures in place for dealing with disciplinary and grievance disputes. Most sizeable businesses will have many additional policies and procedures, often contained in a staff handbook.
If you are about to start a new job and have been handed a comprehensive contract to sign, this will have been drafted to favour your employer. We can advise you on which aspects of the contract should be negotiated on before you start work. Particular attention should be paid to any terms which restrict who you can work for after you leave employment.
If you run a small or medium sized business, you are likely to need some help with drafting employment contracts and policies. You should avoid using a contract from another company as a precedent as that contract may be based on out of date legislation or the terms may not be suitable for your business.