Most people sign the employment contract they’re sent. That’s understandable: you want the job, the contract looks standard, and asking questions feels like it might put the offer at risk. In practice, employers expect some discussion between offer and signature, and a few targeted changes can make a real difference later, particularly when you come to leave.
What you can negotiate
Pay, bonus, start date, notice, holiday above the statutory minimum, working pattern and post-employment restrictions are all open to discussion. Large organisations with pay bands and standard contracts may move on only a few points; smaller businesses often have more room. Your statutory rights, such as the minimum wage, statutory holiday and protection from discrimination, can’t be negotiated away, and a term that tries won’t be effective.
Pick two or three priorities. Raising every clause dilutes the points that matter.
The points most worth negotiating
Salary and bonus. The employer expects these to come up. Base your request on the market rate for the role rather than a percentage you’ve picked. If the bonus is “discretionary”, ask for the criteria in writing. A purely discretionary bonus gives you little to rely on, though the discretion must still be exercised rationally and in good faith.
Notice periods. Check both sides. Three months from you against the statutory minimum from the employer ties you in while leaving them free to let you go quickly, so ask for matching periods. A long notice period cuts both ways: it’s security, but it also delays your next move.
Restrictive covenants. Try to shorten the period, limit client restrictions to clients you actually dealt with, and narrow “competitor” to businesses doing what you’ll do. Asking for garden leave to be deducted from the covenant period is a common request.
Probation. Three to six months is usual. Probation is a contractual arrangement, usually with shorter notice; it doesn’t by itself reduce your statutory rights. Protection from ordinary unfair dismissal depends on length of service, currently two years, and due to fall to six months from January 2027 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. If the employer can extend probation, ask for a limit on how many times and for how long.
Intellectual property. If you’re in a technical or creative role, it’s normal for the employer to own work you create in the course of your employment. Push back if the clause claims anything you create at any time, including on your own time and equipment, and ask for existing side projects to be excluded by name.
Where you work. If you’ve agreed a hybrid or remote pattern in conversation, get it into the contract; a clause letting the employer change your place or pattern of work at its discretion undoes whatever was said at interview. The day-one right to request flexible working is only a right to ask.
Enhanced terms on leaving. Statutory redundancy pay needs two years’ continuous service and is calculated on a capped weekly pay figure, so it’s often modest. Enhanced redundancy terms or a contractual payment on termination are more likely to be available at senior level, but if they matter to you, ask.
Points usually not worth fighting
Confidentiality. Every employer will want a confidentiality clause, and a reasonable one is standard. It’s worth checking only that it doesn’t claim to stop you whistleblowing. A term that tries to prevent a protected disclosure is void under the Employment Rights Act 1996, so over-wide wording won’t bind you on that point, but it’s a sign of a careless template.
Clawback of bonuses or share awards. Senior and regulated roles often include clawback or forfeiture if you leave early or misconduct comes to light. These are hard to remove, but know what you’d give up by resigning.
Garden leave. A clause letting the employer keep you at home on full pay during notice is common. Rather than fighting its existence, focus on the length of notice and on offsetting garden leave against any covenants.
Also note that you can’t contract out of your right to bring employment tribunal claims. Arbitration clauses are rare in UK employment contracts, and one wouldn’t stop you bringing a statutory claim such as unfair dismissal or discrimination.
How to have the conversation
Timing. Raise points after you have the written offer and contract, and before you sign or start. Once you’ve started work on the terms, changing them is much harder.
Tone. Start with the fact that you want the job, then say you have a few points on the contract you’d like to discuss. Keep it specific. “The 12-month non-compete is longer than I’ve seen for similar roles. Would you consider six months, reduced by any garden leave?” gets a better response than “the restrictions are unfair.”
Ask why. “What is the three-month notice period intended to protect?” often gets further than a demand, because the answer is sometimes just that it’s the template.
Offer alternatives. If the employer won’t shorten a non-compete, a garden leave offset or a narrower definition of competitor may be acceptable to both sides.
Get changes in writing. Agreed changes belong in the signed contract or a signed side letter, not just an email thread.
Deciding whether to walk away
If the employer won’t move on something important, you have to decide whether you can live with it. Think about the clause at the point it would bite: a wide non-compete matters most if you’re likely to join a competitor, short employer notice matters most if the business is shaky. Clauses more likely to be deal-breakers include a non-compete that would keep you out of your field, an unlimited right to extend probation, and IP terms that would swallow your work outside the job.
Getting the contract reviewed
If you want to know which clauses are standard and which are worth raising, QuickLegalCheck reviews the contract and explains each clause in plain English, with suggested points to negotiate. You can upload your contract for a free first look before you decide to pay.
Related: what the employment contract review covers, and a complete sample report.