Once you have decided to make a job offer to an applicant, it is time to present the person with an offer of employment. Your offer should clearly outline the terms and conditions of employment.
The actual offer should be made either in person or over the phone.
Review the details of the offer (for example, title, employment status, salary, start date, benefits). Keep in mind that the candidate may attempt to negotiate some aspects of the offer. As a precaution, do not turn down other good applicants until you have reached agreement, and confirmed acceptance, with your top candidate.
Once you have extended a verbal offer of employment, follow up with a written employment agreement (an offer letter). Although there is currently no legal requirement in Ontario to put the offer in writing, it is prudent to do so. A written offer of employment ensures that all parties are clear about their responsibilities.
To ensure that the written contract is enforceable, you need to state that any verbal offer is conditional on signing a written agreement and the candidate must sign a copy of all required documentation prior to commencing work.
With this type of employment agreement, the relationship continues until either party chooses to end the relationship (that is, resignation by employee or termination by company)
With this type of agreement, the employment concludes on a specific date.
Note: Both types of employment agreements should include how the employment relationship may be terminated—either by the company or by the employee. For fixed-term contracts, it is important to set out how the relationship may be terminated during the term if necessary.
The employment agreement should contain the following information:
Other employment agreement details to consider include:
[download url=”https://learn.marsdd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Sample_Employment_Agreement_Template.doc” type=”doc”]Offer letter and employment agreement[/download]
Butteriss, M. (1999). Help Wanted: The Complete Guide to Human Resources for Canadian Entrepreneurs. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons.