
Get exclusive money-saving offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Posted
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Taking on a new member of staff can be both an exciting and challenging time for a business. With lots to consider, it can be a big weight off to get the legal admin out of the way. That's where a Part-time employment contract comes into play.
Use this guide to help you write your own agreement including what to include, when to use one and where to find free templates online.
A Part-time employment contract is an agreement between an employer and an employee working part-time hours that sets out terms and conditions of employment. Generally, a part-time employee is one that works less than 38 hours per week on average.
A part-time employment contract ought to be used before you hire a new employee on a part-time basis. The document should be reviewed, signed and dated by both parties before the employee's commencement date.
An Enterprise (or Workplace) Agreement is a statement of reciprocal rights and responsibilities agreed between a group of employees and an employer. A Part-time employment contract, on the other hand, is an agreement between a single employee and the employer.
Enterprise Agreements are commonly found at companies with a large number of employees and allow employers to set employment conditions tailored to their business and industry. Enterprise Agreements are also used to define the minimum employment conditions that apply to your business and employees.
Like any good employment contract, a part-time agreement will spell out what exactly you expect the employee to do and what they can expect from you.
Contracts can differ depending on the industry, but there are a few key pieces of information that are usually included in a Part-time employment contract. These include:
When carefully drafted, a Part-time employment contract is very effective as it clearly documents the relationship between an employee and an employer. By outlining the terms of employment in a clear way, it'll protect all parties if there's a disagreement on anything from pay to working hours.
Lawyers are not technically required to write up a Part-time employment contract, but they can be very useful. If you want added peace of mind that you've created a legally-sound document, you might consider legal advice. It could be an especially good idea if your employment arrangements are complicated or, say, you're hiring a more senior member of staff.
There's no need for an employment contract to become a lengthy or overly complicated document. However, there are some key elements that need to be included. Your overall aim when writing this type of agreement is to cover the core duties and responsibilities of the employee's work.
Here are some steps to follow when drafting the contract: