4 ms·

Im the GP. I just always had a company handbook (sometimes just a piece of paper) with policies and benefits. Not some sort of binding contract. These policie

Im the GP. I just always had a company handbook (sometimes just a piece of paper) with policies and benefits. Not some sort of binding contract. These policies can and are changed at any time zero notice. I've been at my current job for close to a decade and my benefits are changed at least yearly if not multiple times a year. Health insurance changes every single year (provider, available policies, premiums). Paid time off policies change every few years (amount, policies for selling back time off, when accrued) and our 401(k) match has changed a few times (percentage match and when match would be given). None of this is a contract. It's basically like HN changing their posting policies. Presumably if you don't like it you just leave ("at will") It seems odd in the US that they'd put this stuff in a binding contract as it's not standard practice (that I've seen) and getting everyone to sign new contracts every policy change seems like a lot of unnecessary paperwork. (Union jobs are certainly different but almost nobody (<10%) in the US is in a union)

Symbiote 10y ago
> These policies can and are changed at any time zero notice Not if they're in your contract -- that's the point! "Union jobs" don't exist as such in the UK, joining a union is optional. Perhaps half the staff at that job did belong, and across all roles. I didn't join the union, but the head of project management was in it, and one of the senior developers.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  I'm talking about the US not the UK. In the US employee handbook type stuff is not in any contracts just so they can change it without notice, as that's typical in the US, from my experience. That's why I asked what people are talking about when they sign "employment contracts" in the US as I, personally, have never heard of a private non-union employer having any sort of actual employment contract other than "we can fire you at any time and you can quit at any time." And of course, NDAs. That way they leave the door open to changing the terms at any time. A US employee is typically not going to, in my experience, give up the "at will" status, and by having a contract they do give up that power. Unless they write something like "we can void this contract at will."

Symbiote 10y ago

> These policies can and are changed at any time zero notice Not if they're in your contract -- that's the point! "Union jobs" don't exist as such in the UK, joining a union is optional. Perhaps half the staff at that job did belong, and across all roles. I didn't join the union, but the head of project management was in it, and one of the senior developers.

nommm-nommm 10y ago
I'm talking about the US not the UK. In the US employee handbook type stuff is not in any contracts just so they can change it without notice, as that's typical in the US, from my experience. That's why I asked what people are talking about when they sign "employment contracts" in the US as I, personally, have never heard of a private non-union employer having any sort of actual employment contract other than "we can fire you at any time and you can quit at any time." And of course, NDAs. That way they leave the door open to changing the terms at any time. A US employee is typically not going to, in my experience, give up the "at will" status, and by having a contract they do give up that power. Unless they write something like "we can void this contract at will."