HRD & Payroll Solutions continues to bring HR Zone members a range of HR tips. This week’s tip looks at signing contracts of employment.
Q: How important is it for employees to sign their contracts of employment? Is a contract valid without a signature?
A: If you offer someone a job, indicate the remuneration they will get, and they accept it, you have a contract of employment.
The contract need not be in writing. An oral arrangement is valid, though may be difficult to prove, hence the wisdom of putting it down in writing. However, the lack of signatures does not invalidate the contract.
The law requires you to issue your employees with a statement setting out the terms and conditions of their employment. Again, there is no requirement for it to be signed by either party.
Nevertheless, if you do ask employees to sign the statement and they refuse you should ask why and attempt to resolve any difficulty before it develops into a larger problem for the future.
Previous HR tips
Developing women managers
A promotion that failed
Fixing holidays
Holiday for temporary employees
A redundancy problem
Behaviour outside work
Suspension from work
Informing employees of new legislation
Deductions from wages
Children on site
Workplace affairs
Disabled workers
Attitude problems
Redundancy selection
Custom and practice
Working Bank holidays
Disciplinary and dismissal procedures
Time off work for funerals
References
Translating rules
Banning smoking at work
Burden of proof
Contracts of employment
One Response
Revised contracts
Is the position on signatures any different when an employer introduces revised contracts? What consitutes acceptance in such a situation? What are the consequences of non-acceptance?