wife offered job but no contract during probationary period

bugslet

getmore4less wrote: »

The contract exists from day one.

why would an employer not tell the employee what T&C they are expecting them to work to.

you can do it with a combination of a simple letter and a set of standard docs that everyone works too so you don't even need to use any paper they can be electronic.


As a potential employee you get as much as you can in writing that forms the contract until told something else and can override the standard terms, you can go back as far as the advert for the job and can put stuff your acceptance letter that will form part of hte contract.

As with savvy sue's post, we will give them a letter confirming their start date, pay, basic outline of work. But I just don't do a full contract until 4-5 weeks after start date.

marlot

markyyyyyy wrote: »

...To my understanding, there should be a contract in place right from the word go (with a probationary period included in that) - am i correct in this assumption?

She will be setting up some background systems as part of the role, and what we don't want is for the employer to get rid of her once she has got the systems up and running....

There is a contract in place from the beginning - but with a load of terms that your wife doesn't know about - and she might not have agreed with if she'd known before she started.

Most employers don't realise it, but they have a mind set of treating people as resources. This starts with the concept that they have something of value 'the job', to which they invite applicants. Applicants are expected to put in lots of time applying, but can be rejected without even a thank you.

It can also show at interviews, when a token 2 minutes can be left at the end of the interview for questions you may have of them.

The lack of a contract is another example of this unequal relationship. If the employment doesn't work out you can be dismissed - which for you is the loss of 100% of your income. But for the employer it is likely to be much less of an impact.

As a job seeker you have to work out whether you trust the employer and are prepared to take the chance. I had an offer a few years ago where I decided I didn't quite trust the employer. They were a bit evasive when I asked some questions about how they worked. I turned their offer down despite it being a payrise and nearer home.

When I interview, I make time for people to do a tour of our development areas, so the potential employee can see where they would be working, what our approach is, etc. This tour is led by someone who would be one of their peers, and it is made clear to both parties that they can discuss freely and that it isn't part of the selection process. I also have a blank standard contract available if people want to see it.

Mulder00

If she had to sign acceptance of the offer, then that's as good as a contract. How much info is in her offer letter? My offer letter at my current company was actually much more detailed than any employment contract I've signed before.