Employment Agreements – don’t get too specific

Employers often put together employment agreements that go into great detail on all sorts of matters when it would usually be far better to be less specific.

In one recent case an employer had specified what would amount to redundancy. They were then prevented from carrying out a redundancy for other reasons. There was no need at all to specify what redundancy was in the agreement, but once done it can only be changed by consent.

In another example the employer specified what would amount to serious misconduct and exactly the procedure that would be followed. This allowed no room to deviate in other circumstances.

It is far better to be general about most matters (except as required by legislation) and to put most other matters into a Staff Manual or Policy Manual. These can be changed without requiring consent from each employee. Any changes just need to be brought to the employee’s attention and not conflict with their individual employment agreement.

If you would like to discuss matters further then call Alan Knowsley for a free initial chat.