Sustainable employment refers to an employment relationship that is long-lasting and built on principles such as collaboration, transparency, and mutual benefit. How can employers foster sustainable employment in the workplace? One key way is through the terms of their employee contracts.
The connection between sustainable employment and employment contracts derives from the concern for employee engagement: employers are increasingly searching for innovative ways to engage their employees. A well-thought out employment contract based on sustainable employment practices is a key first step towards engagement and lays a solid foundation for the future.
Here are our top 5 tips for drafting a sustainable employment contract:
- Use plain language. Your employees’ contracts should contain a limited amount of (if any!) “legalese”.
- Avoid “boilerplate” language that does not apply to the employee’s specific circumstances.
- Don’t “cut and paste” contract wording you found on the internet unless it applies to your situation, and you fully understand what it means.
- Make sure that your new employee is fully informed. If certain terms of employment are contained in an employee handbook, the employment contract must refer specifically to (and incorporate) the handbook.
- Be transparent, particularly on the topic of termination. A termination clause must be unambiguous in order to be enforceable!
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