I am a Builder. What do I need in my employment contracts?

Running a business as a builder can come with lots of challenges, including the costs and availability of materials, the costs of labour and the availability of development sites. It is important to have a clear understanding from the outset of what to include in your employment contracts so they won’t become a headache later on, and you can get back to focusing on the job at hand.

Employee Roles and Duties

The first step is to consider what you will require of your employees. It’s important to be clear and precise when setting out a job description and the duties required of your employee. You will also need to decide what types of employees you wish to hire, such as full-time, part-time or casual. Another important consideration is whether any awards will cover your employees and to ensure that they are paid according to any legal requirements. The same goes for any apprentices you consider taking on. You also need to consider how the National Employment Standards (NES) will affect your employment contracts, as your contract cannot be less favourable than these standards. These standards and other legal requirements can be found on the Fair Work Ombudsman website here: http://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/national-employment-standards.

Other important Clauses

Your employment contracts need to set out your employee’s salary, superannuation, weekly hours, uniform, leave entitlements and public holidays. You might also need to consider whether you will include employee entitlements for RDO (rostered days off). To protect your business from any liability issues, you will need to have clear policies on workplace health and safety, bullying and harassment and confidentiality. You might also consider including information about protecting your intellectual property and restraint of trade. This will ensure that any departing employees are restrained from competing against your business within an agreed area and over an agreed period.

Termination

An essential component of any employment contract is the right to end the contract. Your employees need to know when and how their employment can be terminated, how much notice they can be given and what happens after they have been terminated. You also need to know what procedures you want in place when an employee resigns.

Conclusion

When drafting an employment contract, it is very important that it is worded in a way that is easily understood by the employees to whom it applies. Knowing your rights and responsibilities as an employer is essential to foster a productive working environment and helps to ensure your business runs efficiently. To ensure you have the best employment contracts that are most suitable to your business needs, consider using the services of a specialist employment lawyer. LegalVision can provide you with the most cost-effective legal advice and provide you with tailored employment contracts that will ensure you meet all of the legal requirements as an employer. If you would like to find out more, please call us on 1300 544 755 and we will be happy to help answer any questions you have.