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The Enhanced Contract of Employment provides a more comprehensive set of employment terms for UK employers who want to go beyond the basic written statement of employment particulars. It covers the core terms of employment alongside practical provisions covering probation, benefits, enhanced sick pay, holiday, notice, payment in lieu, garden leave, lay-off and short-time working, confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
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This template brings together the key information, sections and considerations you need to create a clear, comprehensive and professional HR document. Preview the document below.
1 Introduction
1.1 This statement is provided in accordance with Section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and forms part of your contract of employment. It sets out the main terms and conditions of your employment with [Employer Name].
1.2 Where the wording refers to the Employee Handbook or Company policies, these are available on request and form part of your employment framework.
1.3 This statement is intended to be clear and transparent and to reflect both statutory minimums and the Company’s good employment practice.
2 Employer and Employee Details
2.1 Name of Employee: [name]
2.2 Name of Employer: [employer name]
2.3 Address of Employer: [employer address]
2.4 Start date: [start date]
3 Continuous employment
3.1 The date on which your continuous employment began is [start date].
4 Job title: [job title]
4.1 The Company may from time to time require you to undertake additional or other duties as necessary to meet the needs of the Company on a short term basis e.g. holiday or sickness cover.
5 Probationary period
5.1 New employees join the Company on a [number of months] month probationary period.
5.2 During and/or at the end of your probationary period you may be asked to attend employment reviews to discuss your overall work performance and conduct. This may include consideration of your absence record, competency, timekeeping, attitude, and interactions with colleagues and customers. If the Company is satisfied with your overall work performance and conduct, your continuing employment will be confirmed.
If the Company is not satisfied with your overall work performance and conduct, your employment will be
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A Contract of Employment is a comprehensive employment contract designed to provide more detail and protection than a basic statement of employment particulars. It combines the core terms required for an employee's written employment particulars with additional contractual provisions that help define the wider employment relationship.
The enhanced version covers practical areas such as probation, benefits, enhanced company sick pay, holiday, notice, payment in lieu of notice, garden leave, lay-off and short-time working, confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
The contract provides a clear written framework for the employment relationship and helps both employer and employee understand their rights, responsibilities and obligations.
It is particularly useful where an employer wants more than a basic employment statement and needs to address issues that may become important during the employment lifecycle, including sickness absence, changes to working arrangements, resignation, termination, protection of confidential information and periods when the employee is not required to work during notice.
The template is suitable for HR professionals, business owners and employers who want a more comprehensive contractual framework for permanent employees.
It can be adapted for different roles by selecting the relevant optional provisions and adjusting pay, hours, benefits, probation, notice and other terms to reflect the actual employment arrangement.
The enhanced version goes beyond the basic employment particulars by addressing a wider range of contractual matters. These include enhanced company sick pay, payment in lieu of notice, garden leave, lay-off and short-time working, detailed confidentiality obligations, conflicts of interest and incorporation of the Employee Handbook.
This provides employers with a more substantial contractual document that can be used as an important reference throughout the employee's employment rather than simply as a record of their basic starting terms.
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An Enhanced Contract of Employment is a more comprehensive employment contract containing the core employment particulars alongside additional contractual provisions. It can cover matters such as enhanced sick pay, garden leave, payment in lieu of notice, lay-off and short-time working, confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
A standard contract may concentrate primarily on the core terms of employment, whereas an enhanced contract provides a broader contractual framework. The enhanced version is designed to address additional situations and obligations that may become relevant during the employment relationship.
HRDocBox combines deep HR knowledge, practical application and years of experience with real employment situations. The enhanced contract brings together the core employment terms with practical provisions covering probation, enhanced sick pay, notice, garden leave, lay-off, confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
AI can produce a generic employment contract, but the challenge is knowing which provisions are actually useful, which should be contractual, which should remain in policies and where additional clauses create risks. HRDocBox combines UK employment-law knowledge, practical HR experience and best practice to provide a more considered contractual framework.
It can be adapted for different employees and roles, but not every provision will be appropriate in every situation. Optional clauses such as DBS checks, garden leave, lay-off and short-time working, enhanced benefits and specific restrictions should be included only where they are relevant to the employment arrangement.
Some employers choose to incorporate specific policies or their Employee Handbook into the contract, while others keep policies non-contractual. The distinction should be made deliberately because contractual policies can be harder to change without agreement.
The contract can contain the information required for the written statement, but employers should ensure that all statutory particulars are actually covered and provided within the required timescales. The contractual document is broader than the statutory written statement.
Yes, an employment contract can include an express garden leave provision. This can give the employer a contractual basis for requiring an employee to remain away from work during their notice period while remaining employed and normally receiving their contractual pay and benefits.
It can, where appropriate, but employers should understand the legal and financial consequences before using such a provision. Lay-off and short-time working can trigger statutory guarantee payment and redundancy considerations, depending on the circumstances.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Contract of employment (enhanced) template is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing employment contract processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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