Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract

This Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract shall be used to employ staff on a fixed-term basis rather than a permanent (or indefinite) basis.

A Fixed-Term Employment Contract is a contract that:

• ends on a particular date, or
• ends on completion of a specific task

It is a requirement under the Employment Rights Act 1996 for employers to provide their employees with a written statement of their main terms and conditions of employment. This must be provided within 8 weeks starting from the commencement of employment. This Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract template is in accordance with the statutory minimum requirements, it contains all the main terms and conditions required under the Act.

Employees on Fixed-Term Contracts are entitled to the same rights as permanent staff working for the same employer and they are protected from less favourable treatment as compared to permanent employees by the favourable treatment as compared to permanent employees by the Fixed-Term Employees Regulations.

Fixed-Term Contracts will normally end automatically when they reach the agreed end date. The employer doesn’t have to give any notice. This Contract contains two options for you to choose from; it allows for the contract to terminate automatically on the expiry of the fixed-term without the need for the employer to give the employee specific notice or not expire until and unless notice is given.

Also, this Contract allows for the employer to terminate the contract earlier, before the expiry of the fixed-term as it contains a notice provision in this regard. Without this notice provision if an employer terminates a fixed term contract before the expiry of the fixed-term it would be liable to pay the employee damages for breach of contract based on the employee's remuneration until the end of the fixed-term.

There is no limit on the duration of a fixed-term contract under the Fixed-term Employees Regulations, but if a first contract is for four or more years and is subsequently renewed, the second contract will be deemed to be permanent unless a further fixed-term contract is justified. In other words, Fixed Term Employees with four or more years of continuous employment who have their contracts renewed or are re-engaged on a new fixed-term contract are deemed to be employed on a permanent (or indefinite) contract unless a further fixed-term contract can be objectively justified. Please note that only service since 10 July 2002 counts towards the calculation of four years' continuous service for these purposes.

On the expiry of a Fixed-Term Contract if the contract is not renewed this is considered to be a dismissal and, if the employee has 2 or more years’ service he will have the protection of unfair dismissal law (employees have the right not to be unfairly dismissed after 2 years’ service, thus the employer needs to show that there’s a ‘fair’ reason for not renewing the contract) and the right to claim a statutory redundancy payment if the non-renewal is by reason of redundancy.

This Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract is fully comprehensive and flexible; it covers all practicalities and can be tailored to suit your needs. You can use this Fixed-Term Contract to employ staff for specific projects or for a specific time, for example to cover for maternity leave.

Please note that workers don’t count as fixed-term employees if they:

• have a contract with an agency rather than the company they’re working for;
• are a student or trainee on a work-experience placement;
• are working under a ‘contract of apprenticeship’; and
• are a member of the armed forces 

This Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract contains the following clauses: 

1. Commencement and Term of Employment

2. Job Title and Description

3. Place of Work

4. Hours of Work

5. Remuneration

6. Holidays

7. Absence and Sick Pay

8. Notice

9. Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure

10. Maternity and Paternity Leave

11. Additional Policies

12. Pension Scheme

13. Collective Agreements

14. Changes to the Employment Terms

15. Confidentiality

16. Property

17. Anti-bribery

18. Third Party Rights

19. Personal Information

20. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Full Time Fixed-Term Employment Contract Template is in Microsoft Word format, written in plain English, easy to use and edit.