Reviewing an employment contract before signing

Before signing an employment contract, compare the written terms with the offer you accepted. Salary is only one part of the agreement: working location, hours, notice, deductions and post-employment restrictions may have a substantial practical effect.

Reconcile the documents

Read the offer letter, contract and any incorporated policy together. Ask which document governs if they differ. Acas explains that contractual terms can arise in different ways, so the signed document should not be read as though earlier commitments never existed. ^[1]

Check whether bonus language promises a payment or leaves discretion, and whether stated benefits can be changed. For remote work, distinguish a fixed contractual location from a policy allowing occasional homeworking.

Clarify obligations before acceptance

Identify probation terms, notice on both sides, training repayment clauses and restrictions on outside work. Ask how overtime is authorised and paid. A broad flexibility clause should prompt a question about the changes the employer expects, rather than an assumption that every future change is permitted.

Request agreed amendments in the final document and retain the accepted version. Restrictive covenants deserves separate attention where future work may be limited; pay deductions explains why repayment and deduction terms should be understood before a dispute arises.

Read the package through a normal working week Translate the proposed terms into the work you expect to do. Identify where you will start each day, who can change the rota, whether travel is expected and how additional hours are handled. A role described as flexible can still contain a wide obligation to attend another location. Ask for examples where wording is unclear. The aim is to understand the practical commitment before relying on a headline salary or a recruiter's description that may not reflect the final document you are asked to accept.

Check the identity of the employing entity and the intended start date, particularly within a group of companies. Compare them with the offer and any discussion about previous service. If the role follows a transfer or an internal move, ask how continuity is recorded. Do not assume that a familiar trading name means the legal employer remains the same. Keep the correspondence explaining any change, because service history can affect rights and benefits even where the daily work and manager appear unchanged.

Separate guaranteed pay from conditional rewards Ask how each part of remuneration is earned, calculated and paid. A commission scheme may depend on customer payment, completion of a probation period or remaining employed on a specified date. Request the scheme rules and a worked example using realistic circumstances. For a discretionary bonus, establish what discretion covers and whether any target mentioned in recruitment is a promise or an illustration. Keep pension contributions, allowances and reimbursed expenses distinct so the total package is not mistaken for guaranteed cash salary.

Review what happens when work stops temporarily or employment ends. Contractual sick pay, enhanced family pay and benefit continuation may be governed by separate policies. Ask whether repayment obligations arise after training or enhanced leave payments and which circumstances trigger them. A reference to a policy is not informative if the policy has not been supplied. Record the version provided and whether it is contractual. Acas explains that an employment agreement can include several sources of terms, so the full set of documents needs to be read together. ^[1]

Assess clauses with consequences beyond the role Consider confidentiality and intellectual property provisions against any existing project, professional activity or business interest. If you already create software, write articles or consult elsewhere, disclose the relevant conflict question and ask how pre-existing work is treated. Do not assume that permission from a line manager overrides a clause requiring written approval from someone else. Seek specific advice where the wording could affect valuable work or a continuing outside role, and preserve any agreed exception in the final contractual documents.

Look at restrictions after departure in light of the work you might reasonably want next. Identify the clients, activities, territory and period described, together with notice and garden leave arrangements. A restriction's enforceability requires assessment; it should not be accepted casually on the assumption that such clauses never matter. Ask why the restriction is needed for this role and whether its scope can be narrowed. Negotiating before acceptance is different from seeking urgent advice after a new employer has made an offer that may conflict with the wording.

Resolve discrepancies in the acceptance record Prepare a short list of questions, quoting the relevant clause and explaining the practical point. Prioritise matters that would change your decision to take the role. If the employer agrees an amendment, ask for an updated document or clear written confirmation from an authorised person. Check that the revised version incorporates all agreed changes, rather than signing an earlier attachment by mistake. Oral reassurance may be relevant evidence, but leaving a known contradiction unresolved makes the eventual agreement harder to establish.

Keep the final offer, accepted contract, incorporated documents and amendment correspondence together. Check any conditions attached to the offer and whether they have been satisfied before making consequential commitments such as relocating. If a term remains uncertain, obtain advice on that term with the complete document set and your intended decision date. A focused review can then explain the actual obligation and available negotiation, rather than offering a general description of employment contracts disconnected from the package in front of you.