Seven Things To Confirm Before Signing An Offer Letter (for employees)
Picture this: you’ve had a great interview, and you’re positive about the job. Two days later, there’s an offer letter you need to sign within twenty-four hours. What would you do?
Like most employees, you skim the clauses, check the figures under Salary, sign, and send. You’re ecstatic about your new role. Eager to leave a great impression, you start preparing for your first day at the office. But you didn’t confirm your resumption date, did you?
Before you sign an offer letter, it’s important to digest the details. There may be a couple of clauses that require clarification. An error in your base salary doesn’t mean that you were tricked during your interview. It could be just that: an error.
Here are the seven important things to check before signing a contract offer letter:
- Date and Working Hours. Confirm your start date and probation period, if any. If your start date isn’t convenient — perhaps because you need to change apartments or travel to another city — now is the time to propose a new date. For hybrid or on-site jobs, pay attention to your working hours. Are you expected to work overtime? Also check if your employment includes a probationary period, and how long this lasts.
- Base Salary. Figures are tricky, especially when they involve your take-home pay. Take the time to do the maths. Perhaps you discussed your monthly salary over your interview call, but your contract letter reflects a bi-weekly arrangement. Make sure the numbers add up, or promptly notify your HR.
- Roles and Responsibilities. You may have previewed a job description while preparing for your interview. Review the duties and responsibilities stated in your letter. Do they match your previous discussions? Ensure that your duties are outlined, so you don’t take up more work than you should now or in the future.
- Bonuses. Don’t wait until you’re ready for a vacation before checking for leave bonuses. What percentage of your income goes to the pension? What percentage does the company contribute? Check for health insurance packages and sick leave clauses. Are the arrangements fixed or flexible? How many days of vacation do you get per year?
- Non-compete Clause. This clause defines your ineligibility to pursue other paid opportunities outside of your work. If breached, your company may decide to pursue legal actions or terminate your employment. Given the significance, it’s important to understand the clause and confirm that you are okay with it.
- At-will Employment. Suppose your employer terminates your employment, what actions can you take? Does your offer letter exempt them from the aftermath of a sudden termination? At-will clauses mean that an employer can dismiss you at any time and for any reason. It doesn’t mean they would. It also means that you can quit your job without prior notice. Employers certainly hope you don’t.
- Confidential Information and Privacy Policies. These policies state that you must keep sensitive information about your job, and the company, to yourself. These include company data, financial reports, copyrighted information, inventions, and designs. It’s worth taking a look at just how much stuff you’re not expected to share.
Bonus Point.
Intellectual Property Clauses. In an ever-advancing workforce system, you should clarify who owns what. Check to know who retains the rights to all inventions, designs, and data produced in the course of your employment, whether solely or jointly with other employees.
Conclusion
Discrepancies in offer letters are inevitable. However, you can call out these errors for your HR or employer to amend. A more robust solution is to suggest an automated HR & IT operations platform like Onboardly. Companies that use these platforms save more on employee performance over time.
Onboardly simplifies the employee experience through automated operations. Our onboarding features fast-track an employee’s onboarding experience. Our contract templates eliminate all errors associated with hiring a new employee. Employees can receive, sign, and send back employment contracts within minutes.
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Read More Contract Signing Articles
- Contract Offer Letters: What HRs Get Wrong
- Why Companies Include Probationary Period for New Hires
