Practical Information

Need to Know

According to the Office for National Statistics, the percentage of UK workers holding permanent employment contracts in 2008 was around 94 percent. Despite the high statistics, UK law does not generally require employers to provide written employment contracts. However, an employee’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of employment offered by an employer automatically constitutes a contract of employment. The terms of the contract may be written, oral or implied, or a combination of all three.

Employees do have the right to receive a written statement outlining the main conditions of their employment. They must receive this document within two months of starting a job. This is not a contract. If the specifics of their employment changes, an employee must be told in writing not more than one month after the change(s) takes place.

Both the employee and employer are usually entitled to a minimum notice period in case of termination of employment: After one month of employment, an employee must give a minimum of one week’s notice, and an employer must give at least one week's notice after one month of employment, two weeks after two years, three weeks after three years and so on up to a maximum of 12 weeks. These are the statutory minimums and both parties can negotiate for longer periods if so written in the employment contract.