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

Essential points

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