There are many employees in Minnesota whose relationship with their employer is governed by the terms and conditions of an employment contract. These agreements can have terms that vary widely from one contract to another. So, do you know what’s in your employment contract?
Like most contracts, employment contracts will usually specifically address what the roles of the parties to the contract will be. So, for an employment contract, the terms will cover what the employee’s duties will be, how long of a term of employment will be covered by the agreement and how the employer will compensate the employee for performing the job duties. As our readers can likely imagine, these terms can be particularly detailed, as they constitute the heart of the agreement.
Beyond these bedrock issues to address, an employment contract will also likely spell out the terms of any benefits that the employee will be entitled to, such as health insurance, life insurance and dental insurance, as well as vacation and sick leave policies. Or, these issues may be addressed by referencing the employer’s standard employee handbook, which may be used for non-contract employees, to assert that the same benefits are available to all employees regardless of whether they have an employment contract or not.
Lastly, most employment contracts will address how termination of employment, if applicable, will be handled. Typically, contracts will assert that the parties are obligated to address any allegations of employment law violations via arbitration, as well as what rights the employee has to pursue other employment with the employer’s potential competitors.