Since 6 April 2020, all employees must be provided a written contract of employment from the first day of their employment. There are certain terms that employment contracts must include by law. These include, but are not limited to:
Employers may also want to consider additional terms to ensure their protection should a dispute arise. These terms often include:
An employment contract may only be changed in the following ways:
You can find more information here: Varying the terms of an Employment contract – Gardner Leader Solicitors (gardner-leader.co.uk)
Having an employee handbook is not a legal requirement, however, having one in place can help to set standards of behaviour, employee entitlements, and reduce the risk of disputes.
Generally, the employee handbook will be contained in a document quite separate to the contract to seek to avoid creating additional contractual obligations.
Employee handbooks can cover a wide variety of issues, including:
For more information on how we can support you and your business, please contact our employment law team by selecting their profiles below or by calling 01635 508080.