Make April the Time to Review your Employee’s Contracts of Employment

Justin Lilleyman

Senior Associate Workplace Relations

Sometimes employers are unaware that their employment contracts do not provide the business with enough protection, and, when this is discovered, employers don’t have a mechanism to require employees to sign a new, improved employment contract.

Lets make April the time to review your employee’s contracts of employment.

It is also perfectly acceptable for employers to make any potential pay increases or additional benefits subject to the employee signing a new employment contract. From the employer’s perspective, implementing new employment contracts have the following potential benefits:

• clarifying employee obligations where there appears to be lack of clarity in practice
• increasing the employer’s flexibility to change position titles, reporting lines, location and hours of work
• ensuring confidentiality and intellectual property is protected
• ensuring compliance with Awards and National Employment Standards (e.g. providing that domestic violence leave now applies)
• clarifying important renumeration details such as annual salaries or casual loadings, offsetting other entitlements
• removing unlawful terms (e.g. deduction from wages)
• improving the enforceability of post-employment restrain

If you require any assistance in reviewing your contracts of employment, please contact REEFWA on 9365 7510 and you will be directed to a lawyer who will be able to discuss with you various options available to you.