Employment Contracts

Why Are Your Employment Contracts Important?

Employment contracts are important in all organisations to ensure that there is a transparent agreement on what has been agreed and what is expected in the workplace, as well as to keep your business legally compliant with its statutory requirements. Under the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts, 1994 and 2014, employers are required to provide in writing details of specified terms and conditions of employment within two months of commencement of employment and employees may receive 4 weeks’ salary as compensation for a breach of this requirement. Furthermore, under the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, there are five core terms that must be provided within five days of the commencement of employment, with serious penalties provided in the legislation for non-compliance. These core terms are as follows:

  • Full names of Employer and Employee.
  • Address of Employer.
  •   Expected duration of contract if it is temporary or fixed term.
  •   Rate or method of calculating pay, and the pay reference period as required under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000.
  •   Expected normal working day and normal working week the employer expects the employee to work.
employment contracts

Important Contract Clauses to include in your Contract:

As well as  the minimum statutory information  that employers must  provide  to their employees, there are a variety of other practical clauses that must be added to a contract of employment, such As:

  • Your Probationary period
  • The right to lay off and put employees on short-time
  • Mobility & travel requirements
  • Normal retirement age
  • The right to pay in lieu of notice
  • The right to search
  • The right to make Lawful  deductions to salary
  • Restrictive and non-compete covenants
  • Confidentiality requirements
Close-up of Human Hand

Your Temporary Employment Contracts:

Contracts for temporary employment situations such as  (maternity leave and sick leave cover, project work etc)  have very specific procedures and requirements on how they are used as stated in the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003 and failure to follow it correctly to the strict guidelines on their use can result in costly compensation awards to employees. Legitimate and properly drafted temporary contracts can offer protection to employers against an unfair dismissal claim being brought when a temporary contract is terminated, provided that an unfair dismissal waiver has been included in a written contract detailing the reasons for the temporary contract.

Bespoken Employment Contracts For Your Organisation:

HR Services Ltd can create comprehensive employment contracts for your employees (permanent, part-time, full-time, temporary) containing all vital terms and conditions, in order to ensure that all areas of the employment relationship are properly documented and that you are fully complying with necessary legislation. A detailed employment contract supported by necessary HR procedures in an employee handbook can protect your organisation from unnecessary litigation and help avoid costly misunderstandings about the obligations and rights of both employers and employees in the workplace.

For more information on employment contracts, email Hello@hr-services.ie, Call +353892728508 or book an appointment for a FREE consultation.