You can, but it won’t do much to protect your business. The reality is that while employment contracts may look like boilerplate, they are actually incredibly nuanced for each individual employee, and with good reason. You would be amazed at how many clients we have seen through the years bring in contracts with either the employee’s name wrong, the company’s name wrong, reference to the wrong set of laws, or other completely inaccurate information. In many cases, the employer doesn’t even know what’s in the contract. Those contracts tend to hold up poorly in court, and the law dictates that if a contract is badly written then the person who drafted it is at fault – even if you as the employer did not write the original!
If a contract is not written specifically for your business, it likely will not help protect your business. Similarly, unless two employees are at the same salary, title, and level of seniority, then it is likely not appropriate for them to have identical employment contracts either. In employment law the ‘little things’ can make a big difference, so it is always best to use contracts you receive from a lawyer. All of that bulky wording is in there to protect you!
