Once you've selected the ideal candidate for your amazing business, you’ll need to make sure that the legal stuff is squared away.
You'll want to give the successful candidate a call and make them a verbal offer, which you’ll then confirm in writing. During the call tell them why you think they’ll be a good match for your team. Your new team member will want to know the details of their employment; salary, hours, potential start date.
Once you’ve made a verbal offer to your candidate, you’ll want to send them some official documentation, so that they can make an educated decision to join you on your business journey. You’ll need to send an:
Offer letter
State the terms of the offer:
Role
Salary (Annual or hourly)
Hours
Benefits
Potential start date
Any prerequisites, e.g. eligibility to work, references, DBS etc
Date offer expires
Contract of Employment
From the 6th April 2020, you have to provide your employee with their Terms and Conditions / Contract of Employment before their start date. PLEASE make sure that your document is legally sound, don’t just find a template on google, they can be missing vital elements that will protect you as an employer, less isn’t always more!
Your contract should include:
Role Name -
Be clear on what you want to call the role, look in the marketplace and see if it fits with your competitors
Reports to -
The role name should be stated, rather than the person.
Remuneration -
Detail the Gross Salary (or hourly rate, if paid by timesheet), also detail any commission or bonus detail.
Pay Date -
Everybody wants to know when they’ll be paid and what period it will cover (weekly/fortnightly/monthly).
Probation period -
How long the probation lasts and the notice period during that time.
Notice Period -
Once the probation period has completed, how long would the successful candidate need to give notice to end their contract. REMEMBER that the notice period would be the same for both employer and employee, so be reasonable.
Pension contributions -
Government legislation requires all employers to have a pension scheme in place. Ensure you have one arranged and decide if you are contributing the minimum percentage or providing an enhanced scheme.
Benefits -
Decide if you are going to offer any benefits at this stage, e.g. childcare vouchers, private healthcare, season ticket loans, retail discounts, etc.
Leave -
Details of paid leave and statutory leave
Employee Handbook / Policies and Processes -
To ensure that you start your professional relationship on the right foot, you should share your policies and processes, things to ensure you cover:
Working hours
Flexible working
Expense Policy
Sickness Absence Policy
Grievance Policy
Disciplinary Policy
Whistleblowing Policy
Equal Opportunities Policy
Health and Safety Policy and Procedures
IT Security and Data Protection Policy
*This isn’t an exhaustive list, your policies are dependent on the needs of your business.
You should also have a new joiner form to capture all the essential details for your new employee, e.g. Bank Details, Next of Kin,
Getting your offer process right is an important part of your candidate experience you want to make sure that they are fully aware of all of the benefits and stipulations that are linked to their new role.