Atornee
Get Started Free
Review My Employment Contract

Lawyer reviewed templates

employment contract review checklist uk

Employment Contract Review Checklist: What to Check Before You Sign

An employment contract review checklist for UK businesses is one of those things that sounds obvious until you realise you skipped it and are now dealing with a dispute. Whether you are hiring your first employee or reviewing a contract before you sign one yourself, the details matter. UK employment law sets a baseline — things like written statements of particulars, notice periods, and statutory rights — but contracts routinely include clauses that go well beyond that baseline in ways that are not always in your favour. Restrictive covenants, IP assignment, garden leave, and post-termination restrictions are all areas where vague or one-sided drafting can cause real problems later. This page gives you a practical, UK-specific checklist to work through before you sign or issue any employment contract. It covers the must-have clauses, the red flags to watch for, and the points where you should stop and get a solicitor involved rather than pressing on alone.

Review My Employment Contract
Instant Access
Lawyer Reviewed

Why this matters

Most UK founders and small business owners either issue employment contracts they downloaded from somewhere years ago or sign ones handed to them without reading the detail. Both are risky. A contract that looks standard can contain a non-compete clause that locks a departing employee out of your industry for twelve months, or an IP clause that hands ownership of work created outside hours to the employer. On the other side, if you are the one signing, a poorly understood restrictive covenant could limit what you do next. The problem is not that people are careless — it is that employment contracts are long, use legal language, and the consequences of missing something only become clear when something goes wrong.

The Atornee approach

Atornee lets you upload an employment contract and get a structured review in minutes. It flags clauses that are unusual, one-sided, or potentially unenforceable under UK law — things like overly broad post-termination restrictions, missing statutory particulars, or ambiguous IP ownership language. You get a plain-English breakdown of what each flagged clause means and why it matters, not a generic summary. This is not a replacement for a solicitor when the stakes are high, but for a first-pass review before you decide whether to escalate, it is faster and cheaper than going straight to legal. Atornee is built for UK businesses, so the analysis reflects UK employment law, not US or generic international standards.

What you get

A clause-by-clause review of your employment contract flagging red flags, missing terms, and unusual provisions under UK law
Plain-English explanations of restrictive covenants, IP assignment clauses, and garden leave provisions so you understand what you are agreeing to
A checklist of statutory minimums required under UK employment law, including written particulars under the Employment Rights Act 1996
Clear escalation guidance — Atornee tells you when a clause is complex enough that you should get a solicitor to advise before signing
A reusable review workflow you can apply to every employment contract you issue or receive going forward

Before you sign checklist

1
1. Gather the full contract document including any schedules, appendices, or documents incorporated by reference — these are part of the agreement
2
2. Check the contract includes the statutory written particulars required from day one under the Employment Rights Act 1996, including pay, hours, holiday, and notice
3
3. Read every restrictive covenant carefully — note the duration, geographic scope, and activities restricted, and question anything broader than twelve months or UK-wide
4
4. Review the IP and confidentiality clauses to understand who owns work created during and outside working hours, and whether the definition of confidential information is proportionate
5
5. Upload the contract to Atornee for a structured AI-assisted review and note every clause it flags for further attention
6
6. For any flagged clause you do not understand or that looks one-sided, get a solicitor to advise before you sign or issue the contract
7
7. Keep a signed copy of the final agreed contract and any side letters or amendments in a secure, accessible location

FAQ

What must a UK employment contract include by law?

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, employers must provide a written statement of employment particulars from day one. This must cover the job title, start date, pay, hours, holiday entitlement, notice periods, sick pay arrangements, and pension. Many contracts include additional terms beyond this statutory minimum, but the minimum must be there. If it is not, that is a red flag worth addressing before the employment starts.

Are restrictive covenants in UK employment contracts enforceable?

They can be, but UK courts will not enforce a restrictive covenant that goes further than reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest. A twelve-month non-compete covering an entire industry nationwide is likely to be challenged. A six-month restriction on approaching specific named clients in a defined sector is more likely to hold. The enforceability depends heavily on the specific wording, the seniority of the role, and the nature of the business. If a contract you are reviewing has broad restrictions, get legal advice before signing.

Can I negotiate an employment contract in the UK?

Yes. An employment contract is an offer, not a take-it-or-leave-it document, even if it is presented that way. You can negotiate notice periods, restrictive covenants, IP clauses, and other terms. Whether the employer will agree is a separate question, but asking is always legitimate. If you are issuing contracts as an employer, be prepared for candidates to push back on overly broad clauses — and consider whether those clauses are actually necessary.

What are the biggest red flags in a UK employment contract?

The most common red flags are: overly broad post-termination restrictions with no geographic or time limit; IP clauses that assign ownership of everything you create, including work done in your own time; garden leave provisions that could keep you on the payroll but inactive for months; vague definitions of confidential information that could cover almost anything; and missing statutory particulars. Any clause that is ambiguous about what you are agreeing to is also worth flagging before you sign.

Do I need a solicitor to review an employment contract in the UK?

Not always, but sometimes yes. For a straightforward contract with standard terms and no unusual clauses, a structured AI-assisted review can give you a solid first pass and flag anything worth a closer look. Where you should escalate to a solicitor is when the contract contains complex restrictive covenants, significant IP assignment terms, senior executive provisions, or anything you do not fully understand after a first review. The cost of getting it wrong is usually higher than the cost of an hour of legal advice.

What is the difference between an employment contract and a written statement of particulars?

A written statement of particulars is the statutory minimum document an employer must provide under UK law. An employment contract is the broader agreement between employer and employee, which typically includes the statutory particulars plus additional terms around confidentiality, IP, restrictions, and other matters. In practice, most employers combine both into a single document. If you only receive a written statement and nothing else, you may have less contractual protection than you think on matters like notice and post-termination obligations.

Related Atornee Guides

Cheap Contract Solicitor Alternative (UK)

Useful if you want to understand your broader options for contract review beyond employment-specific documents.

Cheap Solicitor for NDA (UK)

Relevant when an employment contract includes confidentiality obligations you want to review separately or supplement with a standalone NDA.

Atornee Use Cases

See how UK founders, HR leads, and operators use Atornee across different document review and legal workflow scenarios.

External References

GOV.UK Business and Self-employed

Official UK government guidance on employment law, written particulars, and employer obligations.

UK Legislation

Primary source for the Employment Rights Act 1996 and other statutes governing UK employment contracts.

ICO Guidance for Organisations

Relevant when reviewing data protection and confidentiality clauses in employment contracts under UK GDPR.

Trust & Verification Policy

Authored By

A

Atornee Editorial Team

UK Employment Contract Research

Reviewed By

C

Compliance Review Desk

UK Business Legal Content QA

Last reviewed on 3/4/2026

"This content is based on analysis of common UK employment contract structures, statutory requirements under the Employment Rights Act 1996, and the clause patterns most frequently flagged in Atornee document reviews. It reflects practical experience with the contract issues UK founders and employees encounter most often."

References & Sources