Starting employment

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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

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