There it is. You are a deeply experienced business principal who has worked long and hard to get where you now are, and the fruits of your labor are staring you in the face.
To wit: Executives from an enterprise that you have long considered working for have just placed an employment contract in front of you. The pen sits there.
You will of course take some time to peruse the details, but the end game is both obvious and imminent, right? The right move is to accept the offer, sign the agreement and move into your new office.
A few words of professional legal advice: Tap the brakes.
We note a safe assumption concerning work contracts at the long-established Michigan legal offices of Sterling Employment Law.
We phrase it here in question form: If an agreement in original form is not equally protective of both parties, will it be the company or the would-be employee whose legal rights and interest are more likely to be compromised?
You know the answer, which underscores our firm’s advice to every contracting employee “to maximize your leverage before agreeing to the deal.”
It is simply a base business reality that employers draft work agreements with their interests first in mind. What that means for a prospective employee whose potential service is truly coveted is that some negotiating wiggle room is often available.
In other words, an individual being offered a position likely has the opportunity to modify contract terms and conditions in a way that promotes more contractual equity and shores up personal protections.
The window of opportunity to do so is small, though, and closes permanently once a signed acceptance is put to paper.
Select job offerees can address and seek changes concerning many contractual issues, but they must do so upfront, prior to agreeing to any permanent arrangement. A proven pro-employee legal team of experienced commercial attorneys can help them secure an agreement that is truly fair and maximally protective of their best interests.
We will address some of the key points that can be negotiated in contract negotiations in an upcoming blog post.