Employment contract, drafted for your business.
The law says every employee must get written terms on day one. Most small businesses either have nothing, or a template someone found online in 2014. For R490 we draft a contract around the actual job, in plain English, that meets the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and holds up if the relationship ever goes wrong. You get it in editable Word and PDF, ready to sign.
What you get
- Every written particular section 29 of the BCEA requires: job title and duties, place of work, start date, hours, pay and pay date, overtime, deductions, leave and notice
- Probation clause with a fair review process, so a bad hire can be ended properly and not end up at the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration)
- Working hours, overtime, Sunday and public holiday pay set out the way the BCEA and your sector rules require
- Confidentiality clause, and a restraint of trade only where it makes sense for the role. We tell you if it does not
- Reference to your disciplinary code and workplace rules, so warnings and hearings have a foundation
- Fixed-term contracts drafted with the reason for the fixed term stated correctly, as the Labour Relations Act requires
- Editable Word file plus a signed-ready PDF, and a 15-minute call to walk through it if you want one
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- In your portal form, tell us about the role: title, pay, hours, permanent or fixed-term, and anything special like shift work, commission or company property.
- We draft the contract and send it to your portal within 3 business days. Tell us what to change; one round of changes is included.
- Sign it with the employee, keep a copy on file, and give them theirs. If you ordered extra roles, each gets its own contract.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Is a written contract required by law?
Yes. Section 29 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) says every employer must give each employee written particulars of employment when they start: the job, place of work, hours, pay, overtime rate, deductions, leave and notice period, among other things. A verbal agreement is still a contract, but without the written particulars you are already in breach, and at the CCMA the employee's version of the terms usually wins.
Why not just download a free template?
A template does not know your business. Most free ones are out of date, written for another country, or leave the important clauses blank. We draft yours around the actual role: the hours you really work, whether there is a probation period, what confidential information the person will see, and whether a restraint makes sense. You get something you can sign tomorrow and defend later, not homework. Our free employment contracts guide explains what each clause is for.
Can it be a fixed-term contract?
Yes, and we draft the reason for the fixed term properly. The Labour Relations Act says an employee earning under the BCEA threshold who is kept on a fixed-term contract for more than three months without a good reason is treated as permanent. If your reason is a real project, a seasonal peak or a specific replacement, we word it correctly. If there is no real reason, we tell you a permanent contract with probation is the safer choice.
When should I use an attorney instead?
For executives, directors, shareholders who are also employees, anyone with a large restraint of trade you may need to enforce in court, or where share schemes and commission structures get complicated. Those contracts are negotiated, not drafted, and a labour attorney is the right person. For everyday staff, from an office manager to a driver to a sales rep, our contract does the job at a fraction of the cost. Already have a staff problem? The free HR situations guide walks through warnings, hearings and dismissals step by step.
Hiring your first employee?
The Employer Admin pack registers you for UIF, COIDA and PAYE for R1 250, and includes the UIF, COIDA and PAYE paperwork a new employer needs.
Employer Admin packDocument drafting, not legal advice. Executive, shareholder and high-value restraint agreements need a labour attorney, and we say so plainly.