Employment Documents

Employment documents such as offer letters, employment agreements and employment contracts are legal documents which state binding terms between an employee and their employer. The documents often list the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of both parties. Employees’ documents will generally differ based on their rank or level within the company, and also whether or not the employee holds company stock or options. Furthermore, while these documents can be comprehensive in nature, in almost all circumstances, employment documents are supplemented by other written materials, such as policies, procedures and other company documents.

Startups should consult competent legal counsel (such as a startup attorney) in order to draft employment documents. Even when a startup doesn’t require non-founder employees, startups may wish to have employment agreements between founders and the company in order to define roles, responsibilities, and other key terms of employment.

These documents may also contain terms such as a non-disclosure agreement (also known as an “NDA“), a “work made for hire” provision, a non-solicitation provision, and other terms protective of the company. The documents will likely also contain information regarding salary and, as applicable, bonuses, stock awards, options grants, and other forms of compensation. Information regarding insurance, vacation and other benefits is typically included as well. A startup attorney generally will be able to advise on how to best structure employment documents given a company’s specific needs.