Rena Christou explains why the ‘three Cs’ – being compliant, commercial and contemporary – are a ‘must’ for every contract
Contracts are fundamental to every employment relationship, but they often fail to keep pace with the changing legal landscape and shifting employment expectations.
Focusing on achieving the ‘three Cs’ – compliance, commerciality and contemporary tone – means your contracts will capture the essence of your culture, reduce your risk exposure, increase your flexibility and even save costs.
A contract that isn’t compliant is a risk to your business in many ways. From tribunal claims to reputation, compliance is the cornerstone of every contract. Employment contracts missing key compliance requirements could leave you open to claims for up to four weeks’ pay per employee.
Core legal compliance has existed since the Employment Rights Act 1996 – most businesses get that element of compliance right these days. But the Good Work Plan came into effect in 2020 and employers are still failing to embrace new compliance required by that legislation.
In particular, the Good Work Plan sets out that employment contracts must include details of any probationary period the role is subject to, the days of the week the worker/employee is required to work, whether working hours are variable and how this will be determined, and all paid leave opportunities the worker/employee is entitled to. These are simple changes to make, but are frequently missed and costly...
Act lawsuits, emphasizing that agency guidance documents have limited effect and that the government should continually assess whether to seek dismissal of qui tam actions. . . . Law360 is on it, s...