Contracts  of employment set out the formal terms of the relationship between the employer and the employee. Employers are now required to provide their employees with a statement of their terms and conditions of employment which have to include a number of specific items.

However, contracts of employment also provide the prospective employee with one of the first formal communications from the company and as such will influence the employee's impression of the company from the early stages of the relationship. It is therefore important that the contract reinforces the key messages the employer wants the employee to receive.

All too frequently, however, pre-joining discussions describe a dynamic, friendly and challenging place to work, but the piece of paper the employee receives is over-burdened with legalistic jargon to protect the company. There is a very real risk that in such situations the prospective employee will simply go elsewhere. This of course is most likely to be the reaction of the very best candidates. Alternatively, and perhaps just as damaging in the longer term, the employee will start work with a very wary and negative attitude about the company. Not the best basis for a productive relationship.

Therefore, whilst it is important that contracts reflect the company's legal obligations, protects the employer and sets out some basic ground rules of the relationship, they should also be drafted in a manner that positively promotes the company and underpins the opportunities for a constructive relationship between employer and employee.

Our track record

1994 - Development and implementation of new contracts for new Retail business - 700 staff nationwide (a trade unionised environment)

1995 - Development and implementation of new contracts for Sales and Customer Support in a new  Gas Trading business

1996 - New Contracts for 500 Customer Services Operatives in NE England (trade unionised environment)

2001 - New contracts for 300 IT Consultants following acquisition of IT Company

2003 - New contracts for 4000 staff following merger of IT companies

2006 - New contracts for French sales team following business transfer

2007 - Employment contracts for a new sales team in the semi-conductor industry

2007 - Advise on the amendments of contracts of employment for service staff in a major Information and Media company following a TUPE transfer.

2008 - Advice to SME in the Publishing and Conference sector regarding contracts of employment for new hires. 

2008 - 2009 Advise to a leading HR software company regarding issues their clients will face in recording multiple terms and conditions of employment in newly adopted HR systems.