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Employment contracts

Dealing with employment or labour contracts is a specialist area of employment law and often a complicated one. On this page you can find articles, books and online resources providing guidance, news and background information.
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Latest on employment contracts

Read our latest features and articles on employment contracts.
Tax news in brief 11 May
  • Article
  • 11 May 2022
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 11 May 2022, including: late payment interest rate increase; guidance on changes to VAT penalties and VAT interest charges; revocation of recognised status for Moscow Stock Exchange; a GAAR Advisory Panel Opinion; exclusivity clauses in employment contracts; and HMRC’s Residential Property Developer Tax Manual.
Football-style employment contracts could be a gamechanger
  • Article
  • 01 Apr 2022
Is a new breed of employment contracts that take their inspiration from the beautiful game the answer to hanging onto your best people against a backdrop of huge attrition?
Ethnic minority women most likely to be trapped in zero-hour uncertainty
  • Article
  • 25 Jun 2021
At the end of 2020 Black and ethnic minority women made up the largest proportion of workers on insecure contracts, being almost twice as likely to be working on zero-hour contracts than white men.
Exclusive Don’t forget the legal side of your changes
  • Article
  • 09 Dec 2019
When you change, do it legally

Webinars

Essential employment issues
  • Listing
  • 25 Feb 2019
This new ten minute webinar format is being used to deliver a series of “what you need to know” webinars on best practice for employment issues.
More webinars

Model documents from the ICAEW Library

The ICAEW Library & Information Service offers a range of resources relating to employment contracts, including model contracts and clauses.
Find out more
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eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Writing employment contracts
  • eBook chapter
  • 2017
  • Barry Cushway
  • Kogan Page
This chapter looks at contracts of employment and what constitutes an 'employee' as apposed to a 'worker'. Types of contracts and specific contractual clauses are dealt with.
Exclusive Employment
  • eBook chapter
  • 2016
  • Ewan MacIntyre
  • Pearson
This chapter on employment covers the difference between employees and contractors, terms of an employment contract, termination of employment , wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal and redundancy.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More HR eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Defining workplace flexibility
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2017
  • Vaneeta Khurana
The article discusses the notion of flexible employment status in relation to employment law and taxation in Great Britain. Topics include the nature of employment contracts in relation to self-employment, legal cases dealing with employment law and the gig economy, and the need for business documentation on employment status. To obtain the full text of this article please contact the library.
Exclusive Zero hours contracts clarifying employment status
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2015
  • Elizabeth Stevens
Elizabeth Stevens explains why it is important to decide whether or not zero hours contracts are appropriate for your organisation - and the legal rights of individuals engaged under these contracts.
Exclusive Employee on fixed-term contract was not discriminated against when insurer refused income-replacement payments
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2014
  • David Malamatenios, Colin Makin, Krishna Santra
Discussion of the case Hall v. Xerox UK Ltd, concerning whether the plantiff received less favourable medical insurance benefits from Xerox because he was on a fixed-term contract.
Exclusive Collective change
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2014
  • Stuart Chamberlain
The article considers Great Britain's 2006 Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, or TUPE. Consideration is given to the application of TUPE to outsourcing, how TUPE deals with layoffs, limitations on a worker's right to charge unfair dismissal, and issues related to the harmonization of contracts of transferred employees with those of the firm they are transferring to. ** To access the full text of this article please contact the library**
Exclusive New tupe rules come into force
  • Article
  • 31 Jan 2014
  • Robert Crawford
The article reports on the changes to Great Britain's Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Tupe) regulations which will come into effect on 31 January, 2014. These changes will make changing employees' terms and conditions of employment after a Tupe transfer easier, changes to terms and conditions of employment derived from collective agreements possible and collective redundancy consultation before a Tupe transfer possible
Exclusive Tupe changes will allow employment term renegotiation
  • Article
  • 24 Sep 2013
  • Clare Bettelley
Employers will be able to renegotiate the terms and conditions of employees when transferring them between businesses, as part of changes announced by the government to TUPE regulations.

External resources - Acas guidance

Advice, guidance and practical resources on a wide variety of recruitment topics for both employers and employees, produced by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Acas. Acas is the employment relations service for England, Scotland and Wales offering practical, independent and impartial advice to employers, employees and their representatives.
Acas guide to flexible working and work-life balance
  • Website
Acas guide outlining important considerations for employers of all sizes when implementing flexible working practices.
Changing an employment contract
  • Website
General guidance on legal considerations when employers or employees wish to change a contract of employment.
Employment contracts
  • Website
Information from Acas on contracts and written statements of employment, including an example statement.
What must be written in an employment contract
  • Website
Guidance from Acas on the key points and legal requirements to cover when producing a written statement of employment.
Zero hours contracts
  • Website
Guidance on what a zero hour contract is, with key points for both employers and employees to consider.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - Guidance and advice

Contract of employment template
  • Website
Free, downloadable contract of employment template from Clarkslegal. It provides wording for setting out job title, duties and place of work, the start date, and the length of any probationary period.
Contracts of employment and working hours
  • Website
  • HM Government
Collection of government information covering employment contracts, employment status, working hours and holiday entitlement
Employment 2023 guide
  • Website
  • Chambers and Partners
The Employment 2023 guide by specialist law publishers Chambers & Partners covers over 50 jurisdictions. The guide provides the latest legal information on terms of employment, non-compete and non-solicitation clauses, data privacy law, foreign workers, the role of unions and employee representative bodies, termination of employment, employment disputes and dispute resolution.
Employment contracts
  • Website
  • HM Government
Government guidance on employment contracts with an overview and details of contract terms, collective agreements and written statements of employment particulars
Employment status
  • Website
  • HM Government
Government guidance on employment status, giving overviews of 6 main employment types and their employment rights, entitlements and non-entitlements.
Good work: the Taylor review of modern working practices
  • Website
  • Matthew Taylor
An independent review of modern working practices by Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts.
Reorganising your business: Employment law implications
  • Website
  • The Law Society
Practice note from the Law Society on the implications of a reorganisation a business for employment contracts, redundancies and the Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) . Free registration required.
Zero hours contracts: guidance for employers
  • Website
  • Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Government guidance for employers explaining what zero hours contracts are, outlining appropriate and inappropriate use, exclusivity clauses and best practice.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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