build an individual employment agreement

Start building your Individual Employment Agreement now!

Already have an agreement? Try the Agreement Guide!

Every employee must have a written employment agreement, whether it be an individual agreement or a collective agreement. The Employment Agreement Builder has been created by the Department of Labour to provide guidance to employers and employees on content for the creation of individual employment agreements.

The Builder provides examples of clauses drawn from a range of existing employment agreements, indicates which clauses are legally required in all agreements, and also offers a range of clauses to meet the additional needs of your workplace. Once you have identified the clauses you wish to include in your employment agreement, you are able to assemble the clauses into one draft agreement for saving and printing out.

This builder provides content for employment agreements that meet or exceed legal minimum standards.

If you need assistance, please contact 0800 20 90 20 and talk to our staff.

We've also provided examples of covering letters to help employers meet the requirements of the Employment Relations Act when offering employment.

The key to this information is using it as a starting point to establish conditions that best suit your particular relationship and situation.

This document is a resource of basic provisions that could be included in employment agreements and is designed to be adapted by employers and employees to fit their own circumstances. It does not cover every situation. Employers and employees should agree to those provisions that suit their circumstances, together with any further provisions or other changes that are needed.

The Department of Labour recommends that employers and employees get appropriate advice before signing any employment agreement.

The Employment Agreement Builder is not legal advice from the Department of Labour. It does not constitute recommendations about, or endorsement of, any particular terms or conditions of employment by the Department of Labour, either generally or in any particular situation. The Department of Labour cannot accept any responsibility for changes made to the Employment Agreement Builder once it has been downloaded.

This page was last updated on: 18-Feb-2009 and is current.