Employment conditions
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Employment conditions
If an employer offers you a job, and you choose to accept, the final step in the application process is agreeing on the conditions of employment.
During an employment condition meeting or salary negotiation, you’ll agree on your primary and secondary employment conditions. These are laid down in an employment contract.
An employment contract exists if you are employed by an employer and receive a salary. For example, if you start working as a self-employed person, a different type of agreement applies.
It might happen that next to this, a collective labour agreement (known in Dutch as cao) applies. In addition to the personal agreements in the employment contract, apply the agreements of the collective labour agreement. These apply to all employees within a specific organisation or industry. The agreements apply only to the employee. When the agreements in the employment contract and collective labour agreement conflict, the collective labour agreement applies. \ \ The Ministry of Social Affair and Employment publish all collective labour agreements. Please be aware that this website is in Dutch.
Different types of agreements
Employment contracts for salaries employees
- Temporary contract – this ends after an agreed period.
- permanent contract – for an indefinite period without an end date.
- flexible contract – for example, a zero-hours contract where there is no guarantee of working hours or a min-max contract where a minimum and maximum hours are agreed.
- temporary employment contract – you then receive a contract from a temporary employment or recruitment agency and work for another company on this basis.
- secondment agreement – you are employed by a secondment agency and work for another company.
- project contract – where a contract is concluded for the duration of a project.
Other agreements
- Internship agreement – this is an agreement between the internship organisation and the intern.
- contract of assignment – you perform work for a client as a contractor (for example, as a self-employed person). This is not an employment contract. You work independently, and there is no relationship of authority.
- work contract – you create a tangible work, such as in construction.
- model agreement – an agreement between a client and a self-employed person with the aim of preventing the occurrence of employment or false self-employment. Please be aware that the information of the website of the Dutch tax authorities is in Dutch.
More information about entrepreneurship or working self-employed can be found on the career zone.
What does an employment contract contain?
Content
- The name and place of residence of you and your employer.
- the place or places where you will work.
- your function / position or the work you will be doing.
- start date.
- the duration of the contract (in case of a temporary contract).
- the number of hours you will work (per day or per week).
- the amount of your salary and when it is paid.
- (if applicable) the length of your probationary period.
- the amount of holiday allowance.
- the number of vacation days.
- the duration of the notice period.
- (if applicable) your pension plan.
- (if applicable) your non-compete clause.
- Your collective labour agreement, if applicable.
Conditions
- You are employed by your employer. They can give you assignments and determine the content of your work.
- You receive wages for the worked performed. This wage is usually in cash. You employer may also pay wages, if above the minimum wage, in kind. For example, in the form of meals or room and board. Shares and options, or the profits earned from them, may also be considered wages.
Resource: rijksoverheid.nl \ Please be aware that this website is in Dutch.
What elements are part of an employment agreement?
We have explained a number of important ones for you.\ \ Responsibilities\ When agreeing to conditions of employment, it is important to have a clear understanding of the work you’ll be performing. In addition to the vacancy, there should be a job description outlining all the duties and responsibilities. \ \ Salary\ This means your gross salary. Also check which salary scale and grade you will be placed in. Can you work your way up the salary scale? And are there options to be placed in a higher scale in the future? This kind of information can be found in a collective labour agreement e.g.
Calculate salary – difference between net and gross salary
As well as checking your gross salary, you should also find out what your net salary will be after all deductions and taxes.
You can ask your employer for a pro forma pay slip that shows the net amount of your gross salary after deductions have been made.\ \ Additional payments\ Find out what additional payments you may be entitled to. For example, a 13th month, profit distribution, bonuses and holiday allowance. This information can be found in the collective labour agreement or employment agreement.\ \ Working hours\ How many hours will you work per week? And how can these be divided over the working days? Is this schedule fixed or is flexible scheduling possible? And will overtime be compensated, for example, in income or time off? \ \ Duration of the contract\ This includes the start and any end date of your employment contract. \ \ Notice period\ This is the period between when you resign from your job and your last day of work. The statutory notice period for you as an employee is one month. You may have a longer notice period, depending on your contract. Note: your employer also has a notice period, and it might differ from yours.\ \ Pension\ Your employer may offer a pension plan. This isn’t legally required. However, i fit stems from collective labour agreement or a mandatory pension, it is mandatory. It’s good to find out. What are the conditions of the plan? Who pays the premiums and what are the conditions (and drawbacks) of the plan? \ \ Vacation days\ The amount of vacation days you’re entitled is also mentioned in your employment contract. By law, you’re entitled to four times your weekly working hours. For example, if you work 36 hours per week, that’s 144 hours per year or approximately 18 days. You may also be entitles to extra statutory vacation days, if for example, this is stipulated in your collective labour agreement. Always check whether these are free to take, or whether you also have mandatory “collective” days. It’s also good to know whether you can save up (unlimited) vacation days, and whether it’s possible to take unpaid leave, for example.\ \ Illness and disability\ Legislation in this area changes regularly. It’s advisable to familiarise yourself with it so you know what steps to take if you unexpectedly become ill or incapacitated. Carefully consider what additional measures you can take yourself. \ \ Reimbursement of costs\ Travel expenses, for example, can be included in your employment contract. You may also have other expenses you need to incur to perform your duties. However, reimbursement is not mandatory. Check beforehand, for example, by answering the following questions to determine what applies in your situation:
- To what extent will you be reimbursed for the use of (or purchase of) a mobile phone or (public) transport?
- If you need to move house for your new job, will you be compensated for the costs involved?
- How about other work-related costs, for example buying a bicycle for commuting?
Other extras\ Consider matters such as options for training courses, collective insurances and discounts on products and services, such as gym membership. These days many employers offer attractive packages for employees.
Terms or clauses in a contract
Please note that your future employer may also include one or more terms or clauses in your employment contract. These are special agreements or conditions.\ \ More information can be found on this page.
Employment conditions or salary negotiation
How does the employment conditions interview or salary negotiation proceed?
A (future) employer may send you a proposal and then invite you for a meeting or interview to discuss employment conditions. Alternatively, the terms of employment only may be presented to you during the meeting. In all cases, it’s important to carefully review the terms and conditions.\ \ Note: it is often thought that salary and employment conditions are only discussed in a second or third round interview, but this can also be discussed in the first round as well.
If you’re not positive about the proposal of the employer, you could explore whether there is still room for negotiation. Experience shows that entry-level employees often have less room to negotiate than more experienced professionals. However, it’s still important to position yourself well. Once within the organisation, salary negotiations become much more difficult.
Note!\ The information on this website is based on the Dutch situation and legislation. If you would like to know what is applicable in other countries, use the Internet to search for reliable sources such as a ministry or tax authorities of this specific country, f.i. GoinGlobal website.
Disclaimer: no rights can be derived from this website.
Read more about Negotiating terms of employment.
Working conditions
More information on Working conditions