Starting employment

Starting employment

This subtopic provides precedents for a basic contract of employment, supplemented by a number of additional contractual clauses.

The contract of employment is a document which sets out the rights and obligations of both parties. As a result, the contents and the construction of the contract are of primary importance in determining the extent of the obligations and in deciding when one party is acting outside the scope of the employment contract and is, therefore, in breach.

This subtopic provides guidance to employers on all aspects of the employment contract. See Precedent: Employment contract basic version, for a precedent contract of employment (contract of service) for a junior employee, in agreement form (can be adapted to letter format).

Written statement of particulars

All employees have a statutory right to be given a written statement containing the key details of their employment terms and conditions. These are normally included in a contract of employment. See Practice Note: Written statements of employment particulars—to 5 April 2020 [Archived] and Written statement checklist—until 5 April 2020 [Archived].

Hours of work and working time

Workers and employers are free to agree

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Practice Management News

Social Mobility Foundation calls for mandatory class pay gap reporting

Research from the Social Mobility Foundation shows that workers in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations from working-class backgrounds are paid an average of £6,287 – or 12% – less per year than their more privileged counterparts in the same occupations. The Foundation call on the Government to introduce mandatory class pay gap reporting for all large employers to break down barriers to opportunity.

SRA launches three consultations on client money management and consumer protection

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has initiated three concurrent consultations addressing various aspects of client money management by law firms. Running from 14 November 2024 to 21 February 2025, these consultations seek stakeholder input on matters including the current model of solicitors holding client money, protective measures for client funds, and the sustainability of the compensation fund. The consultations form part of the SRA’s ongoing review of consumer protection arrangements.

EHRC publishes checklist and action plan for preventing sexual harassment at work

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has released updated guidance for employers on preventing sexual harassment at work, in light of the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 which came into force in October 2024. The guidance, formed of template checklists, monitoring logs and an action plan, outlines practical measures employers should implement, such as policy development, staff training, and complaint handling procedures.

Carnival wins appeal against finding of unfair dismissal of employee on maternity leave

Law360: Cruise operator Carnival has won its appeal and can reargue a former employee's claim that it unfairly dismissed her for redundancy while she was on maternity leave, convincing the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) that the employment tribunal wrongly held that it failed to appoint her to a suitable alternative vacancy.

View Practice Management by content type :

News