Is your business due for another round of new hires? Whether your startup is ready to expand to facilitate the next stage of growth or you’re a well-established corporation looking to onboard highly qualified professionals, having a solid employment agreement and hiring process in place can not only help you find the best candidates, but ensure that both parties are protected in the long term. Employment contracts are a vital part of protecting your business and cover key areas such as compensation, responsibilities, company policies, notice and severance provisions and more. Working with a skilled legal team makes it easy to establish a framework to sets up everyone for success. Learn more about the details covered by employment contracts, as well as the importance of partnering with a legal team you can trust, below.
Employee Duties One of the main functions of any employment contract is to clearly outline the duties of each employee role. This not only serves to give new recruits a document that provides transparent information regarding their job description, duties, salaries and benefits, but also ensures both parties are on even ground where expectations for performance, accountability and advancement. Without a properly defined contract, such terms may be left ambiguous, which can become problematic in the long term should an employee under perform, or should the position need to be restructured down the line.
Terms Of Employment Similar to outlining the duties and roles expected of employees, terms of employment clearly distinguish the specific duration and stipulations attached to the position, should all duties continue to be upheld in a satisfactory manner. For short term or contract employees, such terms are important as they indicate the clear start and finish point of a worker’s tenure.
Termination Procedures While no hiring process begins with the intention to prematurely terminate an employee, a well-planned employment contract will have stipulations surrounding your policy for removing someone from the company should the need arise. Such terms help employees know precisely what to expect and serve to protect your business from costly lawsuits in the future.
Non-disclosures, Non-solicitations, Non-competes, And More All 3 of these “Non” clauses outline the employee’s legal obligations after their employment with the company has terminated. If your employees will have access to sensitive or proprietary information, non-disclosures are a must for any hiring contract. This section should transparently outline what information can and cannot be shared, and, if necessary, stipulate where this extends upon an individual leaving the company. Non-solicitations describe the employee’s obligations when it comes to soliciting existing clients or employees after they have left. Finally, non-competes discuss the obligations of whether the employee can work for, own part of or participate in a competing business. In any of these clauses, it’s most important to consider how to keep the obligations as narrow as possible in order to increase their chances of being enforceable.
Here To Help Since 2011, Paperclip Law has partnered with clients throughout the Greater Vancouver Region. Our extensive list of business and startup legal services means that you can trust us to have your back when it comes to overcoming the many challenges facing today’s business owners. Our areas of corporate legal expertise include:
- The incorporation of new companies
- Corporate governance and board advisory services
- Shareholder agreements and joint venture contracts
- Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring
- Compensation agreements
- HR and employment advisory
- Intellectual property matters
- Dispute resolution, and more.
Working with Paperclip Law means always having access to the resources you need, as well as the benefit of flat-rate (one-time or monthly) quotes to cover your frequently asked questions, minor concerns, and more. Our team is here to support your business by making the employment process simple, and removing roadblocks that stand in the way of your success. Learn more about how we can help by contacting our team today!
