As I take a few days off, here’s a post from WAY back in 2009 about offer letters that you may have missed. With employers doing more hiring in 2013, it takes on added relevance.

 

In my series of the “basics” of various employment laws (see prior installments here,here and here), this week the topic is offer letters. Specifically, at the time of hiring an employee, does Connecticut require any documentation be provided to employees?20

 

The answer is yes.  Perhaps not in the form of an “offer letter” but it must be something resembling it.  Specifically, Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-71f requires that every employer, at the time of hiring, tell employees:

  1. What his or her rate of pay will be;
  2. What hours the employee will be expected to work;
  3. How often the employee will be paid (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.).

Connecticut law also requires that employers “make available” to employees (in writing or through a posted notice) any policies or practices relating to:

  • wages;
  • vacation pay;
  • sick leave;
  • health and welfare benefits;
  • and comparable matters.

The employer must provide notice to the employees if it makes any changes to these policies or practices.

For employers, strongly consider using a standard offer letter for each of your hires.  Also be sure that any such letters confirm that the employee is “at-will”, meaning that the employer can fire the employee at any time for any reason (and the employee can leave anytime for any reason too).