Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Employment lawHR practiceEmployment contracts

Employment contracts left unread by employees

by Personnel Today 10 Jun 2010
by Personnel Today 10 Jun 2010

Many employees don’t read their employment contracts properly, and one in 20 doesn’t read them at all, according to a new poll.


Which? Legal Service found 26% of workers only skim-read their contracts, while 6% admitted to not reading them at all, putting them at risk of unfair treatment.


The survey of 4,000 people also found just three in 10 employees received their contract before starting their job, and 9% did not get a contract until they had been in the post for six months or more.


It also revealed that 12% of employed adults do not have a contract at all.


Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: “Our research shows that many people fail to take the time to read their employment contracts properly, which means they have no idea what they’ve signed up to and could be in for a shock in the future.


“Always read your contract before signing it and check that the terms, such as salary, holiday entitlement, notice period and redundancy procedure, are in line with what your employer agreed at your interview.


“Dotting the ‘Is’ and crossing the ‘Ts’ could pay dividends in the long term.”


Employers’ questions on contracts answered:
Is an employer legally obliged to put the contract of employment in writing?
Why are written terms of employment important?
What happens if there is no written agreement of the contractual terms?
If an employer makes a job offer and the candidate accepts, can the employer change its mind and withdraw the job offer if nothing has yet been put in writing?
Where an individual accepts a job offer but subsequently accepts another offer from a different company will the first employer have any form of redress?

Personnel Today
Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
University tuition fee increase may be on the cards
next post
HR Doctor: disconnection disorder

You may also like

Include NHS bank staff in one-off payments, petition...

1 Jun 2023

Examiner was worker, not self-employed, finds tribunal

30 May 2023

Holiday pay changes: how entitlement will be simplified

26 May 2023

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

26 May 2023

Non-compete clauses and proposed limits on their duration

12 May 2023

How are working time records changing in the...

12 May 2023

Changes to working time, TUPE and non-competes announced

10 May 2023

Government urged not to backtrack on Worker Protection...

2 May 2023

EU law bill set to stall as unions...

28 Apr 2023

High Court halts full nurses’ strike

27 Apr 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+