I’d signed up for a webinar that was held yesterday – it was called ‘LawWorks Legal Primer: My First Job’ and it sought to answer some of the common questions people had about signing their first full-time job contracts, what to do if they encountered harassment in the workplace, etc. The moderator was Regana Mydin and on the panel were Toh Wei Yi from Harry Elias partnership and NTUC’s Patrick Tay. Here are some of my takeaways from the session:
- What to look out for: Pay, CPF contribution, overtime pay, the job scope, whether you can be redeployed elsewhere, entitlements, termination – notice period (whether it’s different if you’re still on probation). hours and venue of work, possibility to work from home, any hybrid arrangements, etc
- What if you sign with company A then get a (better) offer from company B? A may ask you to serve out the notice period or provide payment in lieu of the notice period. You can speak with employer A to see if that can be waived. Whenever possible, BUY TIME BEFORE SIGNING.
- Familiarize yourself with the company’s culture as quickly as possible by reading the employee handbook, try to get at least one ally (perhaps the person who joined right before you did?) <- Pick someone helpful and you’ll gain useful insights. Include yourself in social activities.
- Unpaid overtime? Join a union. Also, check whether you are even entitled to OT in the first place.
- Facing burnout especially during WFH during the pandemic? Keep a routine (e.g. lunch break, 10 minutes just to ‘stone’ as you would do in the office). Also, have a hobby which takes your mind off work. Exercise?
- Can a potential employer ask about your last drawn salary? They can ask but you have NO obligation to reveal.
- Clauses regarding your not being able to work in the same industry after leaving the company. Not all are enforceable in court. Depends on reasonableness e.g. (1) duration – 3 months is more reasonable than 2 years, (2) are you really capable of poaching clients or damaging the company’s business? Especially if you’re a low-level employee. In any case, if there’s such a clause in your contract, get it amended or removed before you sign. Because as long as it’s there, even if it ends up not being enforceable in court, the employer may still want to drag you through the lengthy legal proceedings.
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Even though I’m not looking for a job, I found this webinar provided useful insights I can share with family and friends, and I look forward to attending more of them. 
Who knew that one can REFUSE to share about one’s last-drawn salary or request to have clauses amended to be more reasonable? 
Usually these things are skewed in favor of the company for which it was prepared. So I think it’s good to know we can request for them to be changed before we sign on the dotted line.