IST MEIN VERTRAG RECHTSVERBINDLICH?
Once you have accepted the offer and the conditions to which the offer was subject to have been satisfied, a legally binding agreement wird exist. For an agreement to be legally binding, the conditions for forming a contract would have to be met, namely there must be an offer, acceptance, intention to create legal relations and consideration. You may have signed a contract to show your acceptance of the terms but contracts can also come into existence by communicating acceptance verbally or electronically so it is important to remember that you don’t need to sign for a contract to exist.
ICH MÖCHTE NICHT MEHR BEITRETEN. WAS SOLL ICH TUN?
Whether it’s because you have been offered a better job by another company or you’ve just changed your mind, you must remember that you have entered into a contract with your prospective employer. You will need to terminate the contract by unter the period of notice which is stipulated in your contract of employment. It is important to look at the notice clause in your contract of employment and then give your prospective employer notice in accordance with your contract.
Practically, it is good for you to give notice to your prospective employer as soon as possible so that they can make alternative arrangements. The employer will have invested time and resources by interviewing you and making you offer so it is good practice (and polite) to contact them to explain the situation. You never know when your paths will cross again.
KANN MEIN ARBEITGEBER ETWAS UNTERNEHMEN, WENN ICH VOM VERTRAG ZURÜCKTRETE?
If you don’t serve the notice required under your contract of employment, you will be in breach of contract. Your prospective employer will potentially be able to bring a claim against you for breach of contract. However, the prospective employer will be required to prove what loss (if any) has occurred. In most situations, the prospective employer is unlikely to have any loss because you won’t have started work yet. If they have used a recruitment agent, the terms with the agent are likely to stipulate that the recruitment fee is payable only when you have commenced employment or after you have been with the employer for a certain period of time.
MUSS ICH ETWAS BEZAHLEN?
It is rare for employers to claim against employees who decide not to join after signing. It is, from their perspective, usually not worth the time and expense of bringing legal proceedings. However, a decision by your prospective employer about whether to bring a claim very much depends on whether there has been any quantifiable loss and the extent of this loss. For example, the prospective employer may incur cost in finding a replacement for you or may have purchased new equipment or machinery pending your arrival. There could be a claim for direct or consequential loss.
SIND ‘NO-SHOW’-KLAUSELN RECHTMÄSSIG?
A no-show clause in a contract of employment is one which states that you have to pay a certain amount of money in the event that you do not start work with your prospective employer. This is sometimes seen in the contracts of very senior employees who are being recruited to fill a very specific role or for a particular business-critical project. It is possible that the no-show clause is a penalty clause and will therefore be unenforceable. There is also an argument that a no-show clause is a restraint of trade.
Es gibt jedoch eine Rechtsprechung, die darauf hindeutet, dass eine No-Show-Klausel unter bestimmten Umständen von Ihrem zukünftigen Arbeitgeber durchgesetzt werden kann und eine Schadensersatzklausel darstellt. Das Gericht wird bei der Prüfung der Durchsetzbarkeit der Klausel die Umstände berücksichtigen. Zum Beispiel, ob die Parteien vor Abschluss des Vertrags rechtlich beraten wurden oder ob ein Dokument erstellt wurde, das die möglichen Verluste aufzeigt, die entstehen könnten, wenn Sie nicht erscheinen.
If you are an employer or employee and would like further advice about withdrawing from a contract of employment, please contact our employment team unter employmentteam@rfblegal.co.uk.
(Bitte beachten: Dieser Artikel wurde ursprünglich auf unserer früheren Website veröffentlicht und dient nur zu allgemeinen Informationszwecken. Er spiegelt zwar die Rechtslage zum Zeitpunkt der Erstellung dieses Artikels wider, doch kann sich die Rechtslage seit der Veröffentlichung geändert haben. Für eine aktuelle Beratung, die auf Ihre Situation zugeschnitten ist, wenden Sie sich bitte an unser Team).
