Louise Lawrence, an employment lawyer at Winckworth Sherwood LLP, shares her ten top tips for employees to look out for in their new contract of employment when they are changing jobs:
These can have benefits for both parties as if you end up not liking your new role you can move on quickly. However it can also be disenchanting to see that your employment can be terminated on very short notice e.g. one week during the probationary period after it has taken a number of rounds of interviews for you to secure your new role and you are giving up the security of your current role. Consider asking for the probationary period to be removed or extending the notice period to give you some financial comfort if things do not work out and the business dismisses you during the probationary period.
Don’t be afraid to ask for more than was originally suggested. With the cost of living going up, also check when your salary will be first reviewed and what the business’s process is in relation to salary reviews.
You may be offered a sign-on bonus as well as performance bonuses.
Sign-on bonuses often contain repayment provisions if you leave the business within a certain period so check what these are and whether there is a sliding scale of repayment relating to how long you stay with the business as this would be more reasonable than you having to repay the whole amount no matter how long you have stayed with the business. Also check whether there is...
In 2025, U.K. insurers found fewer bogus claims than in 2024, but the cases they intercepted tended to involve more money. According to The Independent, insurers stopped 1.34 billion (about $1.77 ...