After long and tiring rounds of tests and interview, you receive a call from the employer notifying that you are being selected for the job role and receive a offer letter. With this offer letter on hand, all you need to do is “confirm” terms of acceptance of the conditions and clauses stated on the employment contract.
As long as you get to work for a reputed brand, in a job role you aspire and a compensation package that meets your expectations, you are all set to get started at a new office space.
Considering the excitement and thrill that surrounds you, on receiving a job offer, employees most often miss out on the details and clauses stated in the employment contract and blindly “sign in.”
While after the nerve-wrecking recruitment process and tiring interview rounds, a job offer on hand is definitely worth the efforts and time invested. It is okay to be excited, but be careful not to get carried away by the hype that comes along with the offer.
The one last step is to check, verify, and thoroughly read the offer document carefully and clarify any condition/clauses stated by the organisation, before you confirm acceptance of the same.
Thorough and careful reading of the contractual terms is the most critical step to be observed by every employee, before entering into an employment contract. While you might have done your homework well, to search for all information related to the job before applying for the position, but do remember you have a lot to learn and be aware of what you will be getting into.
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Doesn’t matter if you enter into a contractual employment, or a full-time role, here are few things every employee should know and observe before signing on the dotted line:
Make sure that the employer’s full name and important information such as the address, phone number, and email address are stated clearly in the employment contract.
You have to check if your name is spelled correctly and the information written in the letter does match with your current condition.
If you find any spelling, grammatical or sentence fragmentation errors or wrong information entered by mistake, kindly notify the employer right away and ask for a quick fix before signing on the contract.
If during the interview you ask for particular working hours that do not follow the regular employee timings, check if this is specified in the contract. Make sure that the employer does not forget about the deal and writes your working hours accordingly.
It is important to make sure that the job given to you is the one that you are applying for. Therefore, check the job title and description so you know the scope of your responsibilities within the organisation.
If you find any vague or ambiguous information stated in the contract, ask the employer to explain further. This not only gives you a better view of the job role, it further prevents you from doing tasks that are not within your scope.
As contractual employee, your start and end date of employment should be clearly stated in detail. Specified notice period is helpful for both parties to prepare for the employment contract.
You need to check the details of your negotiated salary and other benefits, such as health insurance, dental care, and bonuses. If there needs to be tax and deductions, make sure that the terms are stated clearly as well. Pay attention to the date of payment, too.
Frequent absenteeism will cost the employers. Hence, make sure that the terms and conditions for sickness and disability clauses are specified within the letter.
In some cases, there are other work arrangements that have been discussed during the interview, such as copyrights and confidential data issues. You need to check whether they have been stated in the contract or not.
If you find that your employment contract contains all of these things, only then you can be sure of signing in the letter. However, if there is something missing, do let the employer know to fix it immediately, such that there will be no scope for misunderstanding in the future.
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