An employers' most important duty is to provide the employee with the written particulars of employment. An employee contract must include a letter of appointment, the terms and conditions of employment and the information that fulfills the legal requirements.
It is the duty of an employer to provide the employee with all of the information of the company like the company policies and other documents that are mentioned in the contract. It has been noticed that many employee contracts do not contain well defined procedures and policies of the companies.
1) CONTRACT DETAILS
Full name of employer and employee
Place of work of employee, and, where the employee is required or permitted to work at various
places, an indication of this
Title of job or nature of the work or a brief job description
Date of commencement of employment
2) PAY & BENEFITS
Rate of overtime work (if eligible for overtime pay)
Any other cash benefits that the employee is entitled to
Any payment in kind that the employee is entitled to and the value
of that payment (e.g. accommodation)
Any deductions to be made from the employee's remuneration (e.g. Pension / Medical Aid)
Method of payment and method of calculating wages
Additional benefits, and any conditions under which they apply, e.g. achievement of targets
Pension scheme - whether one exists, and if so conditions
Approvals for any deductions from pay, e.g. pension scheme other than those required by law
3) NATURE OF CONTRACT
Type of contract: permanent, temporary, fixed term
Duration of a temporary contract or termination date for a fixed term contract
Period of notice required to terminate employment, or if employment is for a specified
period, the date when employment is to terminate
4) HOURS OF WORK, SCHEDULES, AND OVERTIME
Number of hours in workweek and workday.
Procedure for scheduling.
Alternative work schedules/flex-time
Definition of overtime & pay or compensatory time off
Advance notice of overtime & right to refuse overtime
Staffing and workload standards.
Timekeeping and attendance requirements
5) LEAVES
Role of seniority in scheduling vacations.
Conditions relating to taking leave, e.g. present company holidays or notice requirements
Details of any other paid leave entitlements
Sick leave arrangements and conditions of any benefits
6) DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
Details of the disciplinary procedure
Conditions under which the employer can terminate the contract e.g. gross misconduct
7) GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Definition of a grievance.
Stewards' right to use work time for grievance investigations.
Employees' right to union representation.
Explanations of each step in grievance procedure and time limits at each step.
8) HEALTH & SAFETY
Employer and employee responsibilities.
9) ABOUT PROBATION PERIOD
Details of confidentiality requirements
Use and mis-use of electronic communications and Internet
10)ABOUT PROBATION PERIOD
Purpose & duration of the probationary period
Benefits that will come into effect when the probationary period is completed
11)PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Criteria & frequency for evaluations.
12)PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
13) ANY OTHER CONDITION, like
Any collective or 3rd party agreement which affects the employee's terms and conditions
14) UNIFORMS AND TOOLS
Allowance for or provision of uniforms and/or tools for affected employees.
15) ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance clause whereby employees sign that they accept the contract of employment and conditions therein.
