4 ms·

Admittedly I have only signed one "real" employment contract, but it was sent to me in two signed copies of which one was to be sent back. So making the changes

by casperc 16y ago

Admittedly I have only signed one "real" employment contract, but it was sent to me in two signed copies of which one was to be sent back. So making the changes and then having them accept the changes by signing afterwards isn't really possible. Did you make your employer aware of the changes openly? Edit: I mean, I could sign their copy, take a photocopy of my own and send it back to them, but at no point would they be accepting my changes.

cwp 16y ago
Oh, I was definitely open about it. Usually I'd be signing in person, so I'd just say, "hey, I can't agree to this, and here's why," and then we'd mark up the contract together. I think I once sent an email with my objections, then edited the contract before I printed and signed it. The actual mechanics aren't that important, though. The point is to actively negotiate the agreement. Usually, employment agreements are cooked up by lawyers that do everything they can think of to protect the interests of their clients. That doesn't mean that they're sacrosanct. If the company is putting a contract in front of you, they've already decided to hire you. They've already put a lot of effort into the hiring process and they won't want to throw that away over a few clauses that they may not be able to enforce anyway. So read the contract, and if there's something you don't like, say so. Get it removed. It's usually that easy.
rmc 16y ago
Did you make your employer aware of the changes openly? You should always make the employeer aware of the changes. You can't just sneak some clause in there and hope they don't notice. In theory everyone should read everything before they sign anything. However you have a much stronger case if the employeer initials the changed section to show they are aware of it.

4 ms·

Admittedly I have only signed one "real" employment contract, but it was sent to me in two signed copies of which one was to be sent back. So making the changes

by casperc 16y ago

cwp 16y ago
Oh, I was definitely open about it. Usually I'd be signing in person, so I'd just say, "hey, I can't agree to this, and here's why," and then we'd mark up the contract together. I think I once sent an email with my objections, then edited the contract before I printed and signed it. The actual mechanics aren't that important, though. The point is to actively negotiate the agreement. Usually, employment agreements are cooked up by lawyers that do everything they can think of to protect the interests of their clients. That doesn't mean that they're sacrosanct. If the company is putting a contract in front of you, they've already decided to hire you. They've already put a lot of effort into the hiring process and they won't want to throw that away over a few clauses that they may not be able to enforce anyway. So read the contract, and if there's something you don't like, say so. Get it removed. It's usually that easy.
rmc 16y ago
Did you make your employer aware of the changes openly? You should always make the employeer aware of the changes. You can't just sneak some clause in there and hope they don't notice. In theory everyone should read everything before they sign anything. However you have a much stronger case if the employeer initials the changed section to show they are aware of it.