Offer letters vs employment contracts

Offer letters vs employment contracts

With employee turnover at an all-time high, many employers in Canada are facing hiring and human resources issues like never before. Employers would be well-advised to consider the ways in which their actions at every step of the employment relationship, including those taken at the very beginning, can create or mitigate legal risks. 

For instance, many employers are of the view that, once signed, a written employment contract is prescriptive of the terms of the employment agreement with their employees. However, what happens when employers require employees to sign not only employment contacts, but also “offer letters”? Many believe that these offer letters, which often precede contracts, are not legally binding, but this may not be true! Read on to find out more about the difference between offer letters and employment contracts.

Offer letters

Having multiple documents that set out the terms of the employment relationship can create confusion. Sometimes offer letters drafted by employers contain terms that contradict the terms in separate employment contracts or include terms that these contracts do not cover (and vice versa). Some employers mistakenly believe that offer letters, even when signed by the employee, will automatically hold less weight than the employment contract (signed later) itself. 

However, a job offer is just that – an offer. Once the offer is accepted, such as by way of a signature by the individual accepting the offer, the terms of the offer become binding on the parties. 

Which document takes precedence?

In the event that an employee signs an initial “Offer Letter” containing terms and conditions of a traditional employment contract, a subsequent employment agreement signed by the employee may be unenforceable absent fresh consideration. Consideration is something of value exchanged for entering into the terms of employment. Usually an offer letter will be signed prior to the employment start date. In this circumstance, the job is the consideration for the employment terms. When an employee starts working and is subsequently asked to sign their “employment contract” often employers do not provide fresh consideration. Without consideration, a contract will not be binding. In these circumstances, only the terms set out in the offer letter would have legal weight. 

Advice for employers

We strongly recommend that employers stick with an employment contract or, if they choose to include an offer letter (especially one that employees need to sign), keep it simple with terms such as the names of the employer and employee, start date, position, and compensation. It is also critical to remember that any agreement signed by the employee is unenforceable if the employee starts working before signing the agreement and is not provided with fresh consideration – something extra, like a signing bonus or a raise – upon signing the agreement.

consideration
employment contract
employment law
employment relationship
fresh consideration
offer letter
Share

Related Posts

Imagen 1

Addressing domestic violence in the workplace – some insights

The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act violence and harassment prevention provisions (Bill 168) require an employer to take all reasonable precautions in the circumstances for the protection of all employees if a domestic violence situation is likely to expose a worker to physical injury in the workplace and the employer becomes aware or ought reasonably to be aware of the situation.

But what does that imply? The law states the requirement but provides little guidance on what employers need to do to prevent domestic violence from spilling into the workplace. In addition, many employers are not comfortable addressing a situation of such a personal nature. It is not an easy task to complete and might never be.

Marie-Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor

Read more
Imagen 1

Sleeping on the Job? What do you have to do to get fired in Canada, anyway?

Employees can be dismissed for cause, and therefore without notice or severance, when their misconduct or performance is so egregious that the employment relationship has been irreparably harmed. In assessing this issue, employers must adopt a contextual approach, which considers not only the misconduct in question, but the entirety of the employment relationship.

Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation

Read more
Imagen 1

Employees with disabilities – accommodation strategies (Part I)

Accommodating employees with disabilities to the point of undue hardship under human rights legislation can be a complicated task. It’s important to make sure the accommodation process goes smoothly and the employee can focus on working as efficiently as possible, but employers may not be sure about what kinds of questions to ask disabled employees in order to meet their needs.

Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD

Read more