5 Factors to Consider before Signing an Employment Contract
Technology / 15, January 2021

5 Factors to Consider before Signing an Employment Contract

We all know that within the corporate industry, employers and employees are required to have a vivid understanding of the rights and responsibilities before they enter into signing an employment contract. Without having access to a written agreement, employers could well be at risk due to certain liabilities. As a result, employees may also be insecure in their individual roles. In fact, employment laws also require workplaces to create specific employment contracts for specific job positions. As a result, it’s essential to have an understanding of how job agreements work prior to signing a legally binding contract. In this article, we will provide you a list of five important points to consider before signing an employment contract.

Job description

Before starting your job, you may have discussed comprehensive details of the job in the process of the interview and may follow-up later. However, you may also be slightly surprised with the fact of how often a few additional responsibilities often get stuck as a result of a few job descriptions. This is usually minor. However, it is also worth it to have some additional compliance. This will help to make sure that it has been presented and aligned completely with your personal capabilities and expectations.

Job particulars

Before you start your job, it is essential to have an idea of where you have stood and what are the legal formalities for the purpose of completing your probation period. You should have a complete idea of the official start date, job description and probation period. You should also have an idea whether the terms for full-time employment are subjected beyond the dates of probation only or you need to have a review with the line manager. You should also have an idea of the notice period. This is mainly because you require time for the purpose of management of affairs along with organizing things if you ever decide to leave the job. It is essential to have an idea of the reason for job termination. It could be due to various reasons. As a result, you should be able to read this section comprehensively. For the purpose of having clarification regarding specific factors, you should contact HR.

Remuneration

Another essential aspect to consider before signing an employment contract is the basic salary along with any possible bonuses or compensations that have been aligned with what you were promised. It also comprises of few important details such as health benefits, medical insurance, mobile phone reimbursements and travel expense reimbursements. Salaried individuals are entitled to have an exact idea of the dates as well as the frequency with which they will be paid. For the purpose of getting fixed bonuses, the criterion for the attainment of the bonuses must be vividly elaborated in the employment contract. For the purpose of getting discretionary bonuses, comprehensive details are not required to be included. However, information regarding the possibility of getting discretionary bonuses is required. It is a very important factor to consider before signing an employment contract.

Working hours

Before signing an employment contract, you should have an idea of the working hours required in the company. You should ask the company regarding the number of hours expected to work? It is also essential to ask whether the company provides any flexibility to the employees and whether they are allowed to work from a specific area or if they can work from anywhere else? Flexible working as well as the total number of working hours has certainly become a key concern for several employees today. Several companies also have an awareness of this. It is essential that you must be able to set these boundaries at the start. This will help you to have room for avoiding any potential misunderstandings in the future.

Leave policy

From a business perspective, leaves in a company are usually subjected to having minimum levels of legislation for each and every country. However, many organizations tend to have a right for extending these to go beyond the obligations that have been levied upon them. After the total number of days that you may be able to take for a leave, you should also have an idea of the comprehensive details related to the carrying over of leaves. You should have an idea of the total number of leaves allowed and if there are any specific restrictions in the employment contract for the leave at specific times of the year. You also have to make sure that your expectations for these have been aligned effectively.