YOUR employment CONTRACT CHECKLIST!

I am often asked about the most important conditions or points to note when negotiating or reviewing a contract. There is no doubt that your contract can make or break a career prospect, so understanding its entirety is KEY. But, for those struggling to find the time, make sure you make note of the below to help get you started.

1.   START DATE – yes, although obvious, you need to specify a commencement date, not the date of the offer.

2.   TITLE – your position will imply responsibilities, reflect your remuneration and place you in the hierarchy. But it is also important as it secures your placement, meaning that it will minimise your chances of being demoted after you have signed on the dotted line. It does not look good going from Manager to Coordinator.

3.   REPORTING – Who do you report to and who reports to you? You may also want to add specific bullet points on the process of reporting or content of report to ensure that people don’t dump additional requests on you or change the style of reporting from employer to the Board of Directors. Besides, this handy clause will mean that if your reporting style changes, you are more inclined to receive notice.

4.   REMUNERATION – obvious, but what is not so obvious are the conditions tied to remuneration. Make sure that the method for payment is specified and how often you will be paid to ensure that you don’t miss a loan repayment! Additionally, if you are working as a part-time, casual, temp or contract, (or on a pro-rata package) it is always good to state this then add in your calculation or total pay to this clause. This is because you minimise room for errors and if there are any errors you simply refer back to this contract and can chase this up yourself without involving a league of people.

5.   SCOPE OF WORK – You must have an outline of your duties, responsibilities and KPIs to avoid miscommunication, confusion and frustration. This is because without this description people are able to dump additional work on you that may not necessarily be part of your experience and skillset, your boss/colleagues may expect you to delivery more for the same package deal, you may not turn away tasks as easily as it’s a grey line, you are not able to protect your domain and receive the support from colleagues you deserve as they are unsure of where you stand, and lastly, your efforts may be undermined. 

6. LEAVE – unpaid, carers, annual etc MUST BE specified IF there are any specific conditions tied to them. For example, if your employer decides to give you more unpaid annual leave, this needs to be clarified. You must state when and how you can take it and provide (in plain English) and example of how it would work to minimise room for error. 

7. NOTICE – although self-explanatory, people don’t pay much attention to the leave clause so it can be one of the nastiest surprises. In EVERY contract you sign, you must ensure that there is a clause dedicated your notice. It must state whether or not it is required in writing or verbally and if there is a protocol for leave. I recommend you supply them notice in writing and that it stipulates unless your employer would prefer to pay the whole or part of my remaining wage, accumulated leave and entitlements in lie etc that your end date will be 4 weeks from the day of notice. This way if there is an issue with pay, you can send this form of communication to the Ombudsman.  

For more handy hints, please visit and like our page: https://www.facebook.com/YourLearningGuide/

The Learning Guide, Kelly Evagelakos