Notes for Your Emerging Business

by | Jun 17, 2015 | Business

When hiring staff, it is a good idea to establish the terms and conditions of their employment. That begins with the job offer – in the form of an offer letter. (For executives, a more formal employment contract is often a good idea, and we will cover that topic in a future blog.)
Although you should make the initial job offer verbally, a follow-up offer letter clarifies what the position entails and the associated salary. Without this written documentation, you might run into confusion or conflict with employees down the road – or, worse yet, you might lose an employee over misunderstood employment terms. After months of recruiting and training, that could be a devastating loss of time and resources invested in that person.

Keep your offer letter short and to the point, but include these items:

  • Employee’s job title
  • Supervisor’s name
  • Start date
  • Explanation of pay terms: salary, commission, etc.
  • Identification of employee classification: exempt or non-exempt
  • Rate of pay: specific hourly wage, annual salary amount, etc.
  • Paycheck schedule
  • Expected working hours (e.g., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
  • Benefits eligibility
  • A statement of at-will employment
  • Additional conditions of employment: non-compete agreement, non-disclosure agreement, etc.

For assistance with drafting your employee offer letters and other small business legal documents, contact EmergeCounsel today.

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