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220803 Sign Contract before working

Why You Should Get Your Contract Signed Before Starting Work

by Olivia Baker

Never start work before your marketing contract is signed. Learn why you should cover your bases and protect yourself.

It’s surprisingly not a legal requirement to have a signed contract from your client before starting to work and it’s also not uncommon—after all, it saves on costs and resources because the agreement can be signed in house. However, it’s important to protect yourself by getting your contract signed before starting work for many reasons.

Avoid Disputes

 

Before the contract is signed, it’s likely that you’ve only shared a verbal agreement. Having a written (and signed) agreement clarifies what was agreed and ensures that there won’t be any disputes or misunderstandings over the terms and conditions, such as:

Roles & Responsibilities

 

Before signing, make sure that the contract outlines the same duties and responsibilities that you discussed beforehand. If you notice significant differences, discuss them with your client and be open about any concerns before signing. Figuring out that your skills or work ethics aren’t a match for the job after starting could cause avoidable problems for both parties.

Paid Leave

 

Paid leave allowance like holidays and sick days aren’t always mentioned in the initial conversations or offer letter, so you should make sure it matches your expectations before starting.

Job Security

 

Getting your contract signed before you start work can also create more job security. Not only is it physical proof that you’ve been contracted to work, but it also covers information about termination and payment. Termination processes might not come up in earlier discussions, so it’s a good idea to make sure the role offers the level of freedom or security that you need before signing. It’s unlikely that budget, payments, and benefits weren’t mentioned before or that they don’t match what’s in the contract, but there’s no harm in checking for discrepancies before formally agreeing to them.

Ready to Sign?

 

Now that you know why it’s so important to get your contract signed, don’t waste any more time!

Check out the Smallpdf eSign tool for fast and secure contract signing for free, or get a free 7-day trial to a Smallpdf Pro account for unlimited signing and additional features!

Olivia Baker
Olivia Baker
Content Writer