Employment Letters – Houston Law Firm
Employment letters are formal employment offers that a company’s hiring manager sends to successful job applicants. The main purpose of an employment letter is to let the successful candidates know that they have gotten the job. RunRex highlights what the main components of an employment letter are in this post.
1. Specification of the job title and position
As an employer, you need to be strategic when it comes to hiring. A new employee is meant to perform certain tasks within the company with the aim that their skills will improve the operations of the business and positively impact the revenue the company generates. As such, the employment letter should be very specific and state the exact position and the title the employee being recruited will assume. The employer should ensure that the title and the position being given to the employee is that which they had applied for. The title should be accompanied by a description of their duties and responsibilities in the company and the name of their supervisor and their contact information.
2. Compensation
The employment letter should have a compensation section that states the amount the employee will earn for the job they will do in the company. It should also state whether the compensation is daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly. Also, any other additional pay like premium pays for holidays and any other compensations that the employee will be entitled to once they become part of the company should be indicated.
3. Benefits options
Most companies have benefit packages for their employees. The employment letter should clearly state when the employee will be eligible to enjoy such benefits. It should also provide directions of where they can find information about their obligations to disability insurance, health insurance, and dental and vision coverage if they are available. This section should also include a description of profit sharing, pension plans, retirement savings options and the employee stock purchase plans for the company.
4. The commencement date
Another important detail is the date that the employee is required to commence working for the company. The date should be the one discussed during the job interview. You should set a date that gives you enough time to create a suitable working station for the employee comfortably. The timing should be reasonable to give the employee enough time to transition from any ventures they may still be engaged in.
5. Specify the requirements for the job
To further confirm that the employee can get the job done, ensure that the employment letter includes the requirements for the job. Also, other requirements like undergoing a health examination and supplying the necessary documents should be included in the letter. Other important documents are; identification card, immigration permits that allow the employee to work legally in the United States like permanent residence or work visa for immigrants. The documents that the employee is supposed to present should be indicated in the employment letter.
6. Clarify the terms of the employment
The employment contract can be short or long. As such, it is important to clearly clarify how long the employee will be working for the company. This means that the employment letter should specify the exact number of hours the employee will be working in a week and the times during the day within which they should be at work.
7. Trial period
In the current business world, it is increasingly becoming critical that the managers of a business have trial periods for specific tasks before employing someone permanently in a particular job position. In case the employment position will begin with this trial period, it is important that this information be included in the employment letter and the situations that may lead to the termination of the employment clearly stated.
While employment letters can be quite general and formal, good practice requires that some personalized touch be added to the letter. The employer should state why the chosen employee is the best candidate for the job. You can also add a couple of relevant items like a company merchandise or a logo to accompany the employment letter.
The employer should pay attention to the structure of the employment letter. Every piece of text should be clear, and the structure is such that any part that requires the employee to show that they are willing to comply has a section where they can write their name and put a sign next to it.
Employment letters are mainly delivered to the successful employees via email or physically via mail. However, it is still possible to communicate to the successful employees via phone to inform them that they have secured the job, but this has to be accompanied by the employment letter later on.
Employment letters signify the beginning of a new relationship between an employer and a new employee. It is, therefore, important that it has all the components, details and the right structure before being sent to the employee.