The employment contract

How to change an existing contract

If you want to change the terms of an employee's contract of employment, you will need to get his or her prior written consent to the changes. This will be the case whether the contract is oral, implied or written. Otherwise the employee may be entitled to sue for breach of contract or resign and claim constructive dismissal. See our guide on how to change an employee's terms of employment.

Changes to the written statement
You must tell the employee in writing about any changes to the written statement no later than one month after you have made the change. A change to the statement will still require the employee's consent. If the change results from the employee being required to work outside the UK for more than a month, and they will be leaving within a month of the change, you should tell them in writing before they leave.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• What a contract of employment is
• How to change an existing contract
• Put together an employee's written statement
• Put together an employee's written statement in separate parts
• Implied terms of an employment contract
• When you send a new employee abroad