What must my employer put in writing about my job?
There is a legal list of particulars every worker must be given, on or before the first day. Knowing what is on it turns a vague argument into a specific one.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 12 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Every employee and worker must be given a written statement of employment particulars on or before their first day. It must cover pay, hours, holiday, place of work, job title, start date, notice, probation, sick pay and any training entitlement. If you have never had one, ask for it in writing — the obligation is on the employer, not on you to chase.
People call this "the contract", and in practice it usually functions as one, but legally it is a statement of particulars: the minimum set of facts the employer must record in writing. Its real value is that it converts assumptions into checkable terms. Almost every workplace dispute about pay, hours or probation is settled by reading it.
Step by step
- Check you were given one at all.The principal statement is due on or before the first day of work, and it covers workers as well as employees. Some further particulars can follow within two months.
- Check the pay terms.Rate or salary, how it is calculated, the pay interval and the pay day. If you are paid variably, this is where the method should be described.
- Check the hours and pattern.Normal hours, days of the week, whether they are variable and how variation is decided. For irregular work this section is what makes a rota challengeable.
- Check holiday and holiday pay.Entitlement, the leave year, whether bank holidays are included, and how holiday pay is calculated. Enough detail to work out your entitlement precisely is required.
- Check the probation terms.Length, conditions and any different notice period during it. Probation does not change your statutory rights — it mainly changes contractual notice and access to discretionary benefits.
- Check sick pay, pensions and other paid leave.Whether there is a company sick pay scheme and its terms; pension arrangements; and any other paid leave beyond holiday.
- Check notice, place of work and training.Notice on each side, where you are required to work including any mobility clause, and any training the employer requires you to complete and whether it is paid for.
- Ask for it in writing if it is missing or wrong.A short email asking for the written statement of employment particulars is enough. If it is not provided, that is a matter you can raise formally, and it can attract an award at a tribunal alongside another successful claim.
Questions people ask
Is a written statement the same as a contract?
Not technically. A contract can exist without anything written down. The statement is the minimum set of particulars the employer must record, and in most workplaces the same document does both jobs.
Can my employer change the terms?
Not unilaterally, for terms that are genuinely contractual. Changes normally need agreement, or a proper consultation process. Some documents deliberately state that certain policies are non-contractual so they can be changed.
Does probation reduce my rights?
Not your statutory ones. Day-one rights apply from day one. What probation typically changes is the contractual notice period and access to discretionary benefits.