Fixed Term Contracts
The Fixed-term Employees Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment Regulations have been in force since 2002. Since then, employers have had to deal with many issues regarding fixed-term employees, but there are still questions that crop up.
The fixed-term contract is a useful mechanism for employers. It enables them to employ employees for a fixed period of time, without raising any expectations that the employee will be there indefinitely or even for a long period of time. Fixed-term contracts are frequently used for maternity leave cover, to cover long-term sickness absence or peak periods, such as the Christmas season in the retail trade. There are, however, a number of legal pitfalls that employers have to be aware of.