Employers can only amend the terms of an employment contract if they have reserved the right to change them in the contract, and only if they do not act in an unreasonable manner. If they have not reserved the right to amend the terms of the contract, then they cannot do so without the employee’s consent. However, the outcome will depend on the exte...

When the employee accepts an unconditional offer of employment, the contract becomes legally binding. This may be before the term of employment begins....

An employment contract should include information about the job role; the employee’s and employer’s responsibilities; the employment term; the employee’s compensation and working hours; the employee’s probation period (if any); and details of any sickness, holiday, disciplinary and grievance policies. The employment contract may also include confide...

Every employment contract has implied terms for employers and employees. Examples of implied terms include the following: The employee has a duty to follow any ‘reasonable’ instructions from the employer The employer and employee have a duty of trust to each other The employer and employee have a duty of care to each other...

Although oral employment contracts do exist and have the same legal authority as written contracts, they should always be in writing as a matter of security. Should conflicts or disputes arise, oral agreements can be difficult to prove. A written employment contract provides more certainty, can make it easier to solve disputes and provides evidence...

There are three types of employment contracts: permanent employment contracts, fixed-term employment contracts and casual employment contracts. A permanent employment contract is for employees who are paid a salary or hourly rate and who work regular hours. This type of contract may apply to full- or part-time work and is ongoing until it is termina...

The terms that are explicitly agreed between the employer and employee are called express terms. These terms may be written in a number of different documents, such as the employment contract, job advertisement or employee handbook. Express terms include the rate of pay, including bonus or overtime pay; how much notice the employer will give to the...

If the employer or employee breaks one of the terms of the employment contract, this constitutes a breach of contract. Some of the most common breaches are as follows: Late pay No pay Wrongful dismissal The employee quits without giving proper notice to the employer The employee withdraws from a job offer after accepting it Changing the terms of the...

A breach of contract in an employment contract happens when the employee or employer breaks one of the terms of the contract. If an employer breaches the employment contract (e.g. does not pay the employee's wages), the employee should first try to resolve the problem with the employer. If the conflict is not resolved, the employer and employee shou...

All UK employees are entitled to the following employee rights: national minimum wage; holiday pay; workplace pension; statutory sick pay; statutory redundancy pay; protection against unfair dismissal; shared parental leave and pay; and statutory maternity, paternity and adoption leave pay....