One of the most exciting times during the job search process is when you’ve finally been offered a contract for employment. However, modern employment offers can often include many complex moving parts and highly technical language. It can sometimes be helpful to have an attorney on your side helping you review your employment offer and contract.
Moore & Associates are employment lawyers who can assist you by reviewing your offer and by helping you negotiate the terms of your contract so that you can protect your rights, ensure that you’re getting paid fair wages and overtime, and help you understand the implications of nondisclosure and noncompete agreements. Understanding your rights and obligations before you begin working can prevent confusion or issues later and can set the foundation for a strong working relationship. Before you sign on the dotted line, contact Moore & Associates, a Houston, Texas employment lawyer to help you negotiate your employment contract in Houston, Texas.
What Aspects of an Employment Contract Can be Negotiated?
Pretty much all aspects of your employment contract can be negotiated. This includes everything from compensation and benefits to confidentiality clauses and non-compete clauses. When you’ve been made an offer of employment, it is important to remember that you are evaluating your future employer to determine whether they are a good match for you. When looking at your offer for employment what are some things you might want to evaluate closely? Here are a few:
- Compensation & Benefits: Are you paid a salary or by the hour? What are the expected hours? How is overtime handled? You may also want to ask about whether the base salary is increased on a yearly basis and what, if any bonus, you’ll be paid.
- What are the duties of the job? Do the duties match the compensation being provided, or is there a disparity between the job description and the duties assigned? If there is any vague language about your duties, should this language be clarified. Many employment contracts may include clauses that allow the employer to assign additional duties. Moore & Associates is a Houston, Texas employment lawyer who can help you ask tough questions to ensure that your employment terms are clear.
- Non-Compete Agreements. If you are asked to sign a non-compete agreement, you may not be permitted to work in your field for a period of time after you stop working for your employer. Non-compete agreements must be specific in scope, period of time, and be specific to a geographic region to be enforceable, but it is important that the non-compete agreement be fair. When negotiating a contract for employment, workers may be able to ask for a severance package that would provide compensation for the employee during the period of time he or she is not permitted to work in the field.
- Provisions for Senior-Level Employees. Senior level employees may have much more to lose if an employment relationship doesn’t work out. Higher level workers may be leaving familiar positions with high levels of responsibility to take on a new role, and finding new work when you are seeking a senior-level position can be challenging. This is why many senior-level employment contracts contain severance packages or stock options to provide for the employee if the contract must be terminated for any reason.
- Review Paid Vacation, Holidays, Time Off, and Sick Leave Options. When reviewing your employment offer, you’ll also want to look at what your paid time off looks like. Does the job match your lifestyle and goals? What about sick time? Is there sufficient time built into the contract to account for the unexpected?
- Signing Bonus. If you will be leaving another job and losing benefits in the interim, or if you will be moving, will you be provided with a signing bonus to provide for the move? Many companies offer this. Contract negotiation can include negotiating for a good signing bonus.
These are just some of the aspects of your employment contract that you might want to review and negotiate before you accept a job offer or sign on the dotted lines. Many aspects of an employment contract are negotiable, especially if you are taking on a more senior-level position. Moore & Associates are employment lawyers in Houston, Texas who can assist you with negotiating your employment contract.
Contact Moore & Associates Today
The foundation of any employee-employer relationship is your employment contract. With a sound employment contract in place, workers can avoid a great deal of confusion about salary, wages, overtime pay, and other issues that can arise in the workplace. If you’ve been offered a new job, there may be many aspects of your contract that might be highly technical or written in detailed legal terms. Moore & Associates are employment lawyers in Houston, Texas who may be able to help you with your employment contract.
