Employee contracts, statements of terms of employment and handbooks: Ireland employment law

Essential points

• There is no legal requirement that an employee must be provided with a contract of employment.
• However, an employer has an obligation to provide each employee with a written statement of the terms of theit employment.
• The advantage of having a formal contract in writing, signed by both parties, is that it sets out the terms agreed between the employer and the employee providing a level of certainty to the relationship.
• Certain legislation specifies the minimum terms which must be provided in writing to an employee and when they must be provided.
• Other legislation specifies certain minimum standards of employment which cannot be varied by contract or otherwise.