By Michael Wadley
'Contact of employment'
There we go…a phrase that reaches the places valium can't.
Because employment contracts are boring aren't they? Yes and that's their job. To combine titanic scale dreariness, with deliberately deployed esotericism and the most weaselesque of words possible – all in one big old, sleep–inducing document.
Well, wake up and smell the caffeine all you employment lawyers and crusty HR departments out there. Cos I reckon your days might be numbered.
Last week Fides Media shook hands with its first ever bona fide PAYE employee – Ali Clarke. She's brilliant by the way. Anyway we've provided her with a contract which, and I'm confident about this, will change the face of employment law in this country.
Well maybe not, but it certainly looks like a welcome slap on the backside for all those 28 page finger-wagging tomes , with their 'whilsts' and their 'wherefores' and their 'gross misconduct this' and 'The Company reserves the right to do that' nonsense.
Our Ali has got a contract, produced in the form of a warm and uplifting letter that speaks to her effervescently and treats her as a friend.
It was beautifully crafted by our wonderful HR advisor, Mara Thorne. Mara has done a magnificent job here because she has included everything that both 'parties' need including protecting each other and mutual reassurance and understanding. Yet it's done in a fun and truly engaging way. In fact, with its song title cross-heads, crisp and sprightly tone of voice it's a right-rollocking read.
We may well put it up on our website in due course as a warning to all you dullards out there…because we're really proud of this potentially shape-shifting document and I know Ali really likes it too.
So the cat's out of the bag…contracts don't have to be tedious. And that, folks…it's official!
