Employees urged to check contracts

People are being urged to check their employment contracts when they start a new job.

A survey of 4,000 adults by Which? Legal Service found just 26% skim-read their contracts while 6% admitted they had not read it at all.

Furthermore just three in ten said they had received their contract ahead of beginning their job with 9% sating they did not get a copy until they had been employed for six months.

It also revealed that 12% of employed adults do not have a contract.

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "Our research shows that many people fail to take the time to read their employment contracts properly, which means they have no idea what they've signed up to and could be in for a shock in the future.

"Always read your contract before signing it and check that the terms, such as salary, holiday entitlement, notice period and redundancy procedure, are in line with what your employer agreed at your interview.

"Dotting the i's and crossing the t's could pay dividends in the long term."