Employment Contract Review: What to Check Before Signing

Find the employer, job title, duties, manager, start date, location, remote or hybrid arrangement, employment status, and contract duration. Vague duties or a broad mobility clause can matter because they leave more room for day-to-day change.

• Does the written role match the job you accepted?
• Is remote work stated as a contractual arrangement or only described in a policy?
• Can duties or location be changed, and on what terms?

Separate compensation promised in the contract from compensation described as discretionary, conditional, or governed by a separate plan. Check basic salary, payment frequency, commission, bonus, overtime where mentioned, expenses, benefits, and equity or stock options.

• What is guaranteed in writing?
• What depends on targets, a plan, or employer discretion?
• What happens to variable pay if employment ends before payment?

Read normal hours, overtime wording, travel, on-call expectations, workplace, remote-work terms, and any right to vary schedule or location. The contract can show the operational commitment; statutory working-time protections depend on the relevant jurisdiction.

• Are expected hours and availability clear?
• Is travel or relocation defined rather than open-ended?
• Which arrangements sit in a policy instead of the contract?

A probation clause usually identifies a trial period, review process, and notice arrangements during that period. Compare its duration and notice wording with the terms that apply afterward. Whether any period or notice is legally effective depends on the applicable law.

• When does probation end?
• Can it be extended, and how?
• What notice applies during and after probation?

Identify notice by each party, termination for cause, payment in lieu of notice, garden leave, severance where stated, and return-of-property duties. Read all post-termination obligations together rather than treating notice as the final clause.

• Is notice reciprocal or different for each party?
• What does the agreement say about salary, bonus, benefits, and equity at termination?
• Which obligations expressly survive employment?

Employment contracts may address code, designs, inventions, documents, and other work created during employment. Look for pre-existing IP, side projects, disclosure duties, and wording that reaches unrelated personal work. Ownership rules can be strongly jurisdiction-specific.

• Are existing projects or IP identified or excluded?
• Does the clause describe work connected to employment?
• Does it require disclosure of unrelated ideas or projects?

A confidentiality obligation should identify protected information, permitted disclosure, and duration. Treat non-compete and non-solicitation separately: identify the restricted activity, people or customers, territory, duration, and stated consequences. Enforceability is not determined by the clause alone.

• Is confidential information defined with usable boundaries?
• What work, customers, or colleagues are restricted after leaving?
• Does a non-compete appear in an otherwise ordinary confidentiality clause?

The contract may refer to an employee handbook, bonus plan, expense policy, remote-work policy, disciplinary policy, or equity plan. These documents can contain important practical terms even when they are not attached.

• Which policies form part of the agreement?
• Can they be changed and how will you be notified?
• Have you received the current versions before signing?

Frequently asked questions

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