5 Sensitive Things You Must Include In an Employment Contract

How many times have you had to amend your job agreement document?

Have you ever had a moment with your new employee where some terms of employment were not keenly highlighted or were left out? This is a common mistake that many recruiters make. Errors in an employment contract could cost you a fortune, especially when the employee takes notice and decides to take advantage of omission, misquoting, and little mistakes like spelling and grammatical errors. Thus, as a hiring manager, you need to pay key attention to what you include in the work contract. 

In this article, I share 5 sensitive things that are a must-have in a job contract;

1. Work details

You cannot miss out on outlining the key details of the role the new staff is being placed for. Leaving out important details like the role’s description, skills requirements, and the department assigned and to whom they report will give the employee a leeway not to perform. Thus, you can always outline or attach a copy of the job details in the terms of service document. In addition, it is also essential to outline the criteria for performance management against the role assigned. This way, the staff will know what is expected of them and will strive towards meeting the requirements.

2. Duration of the contract

Clearly state the duration that the employee is expected to engage in this role and on what basis. This could be on a part-time or full-time basis. It is also important to indicate the office hours for the employee. These aspects are important in guiding the recruit especially when the role has any exceptions to the standard hours.

3. Confidentiality, privacy and responsibility

Basic work contracts will ensure to include terms of privacy and confidentiality. This may include non-compete policies and confidentiality policies that go a long way in protecting client data and trade secrets. In some cases, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is attached especially in the creative industry. It is important to highlight that an NDA should be signed. This ensures you protect your client against any mishaps that may occur in the future.

4. Remuneration and benefits

Although it may seem obvious to include the salary for the worker, most managers forget to pay attention to very crucial details that if left out could lead to confusion and misguide the parties involved. Therefore, you should make sure to correctly write the currency, salary rate, and benefits such as insurance, commissions and saving plans. 

5. Terms of termination

It is imperative to outline the requirements for both parties in case of termination of the job agreement. Note that both sides must follow certain guidelines such as the notice period, reimbursement and severance. 

To avoid mistakes and issues that arise from errors in employment contracts, it is vital to ensure the above points are included and well crafted. Above all, you should ensure to be keen on major provisions in the labour laws that regulate staff as you draft your terms and conditions of employment.