When Should You Provide a Contract to New Employees in Your Business?

Welcome to our brand new Ask HR Series! We want to know what burning HR questions you have so that we can answer them here for you! Simply submit your question here. And don't worry, it's all totally anonymous!

Q: When do I have to give a contract to a new employee?

Answer: Employers are legally required to issue a contract of employment (or Statement of Written Particulars, whatever you want to call it) on or before the employee's first day of work.

We often recommend sending the contract out as soon as the employee has accepted the offer of employment so that they can feel confident in handing in their notice with their current employer. It also gives them plenty of time to ask any questions they may have before the first day rolls around.

If you have recently hired someone and haven't yet given them a contract, don't panic. The best time to issue the contracts is on or before their first day. The next best time is now!

---

Got a HR question? Submit yours anonymously here and we'll answer it in our blog and newsletter!

📝Get access to our ready made contract templates and much more in our How to HR Toolkit