I have been working for 30 years in the construction industry and am now being asked to sign a contract? Should I sign?

It is a common reality in construction that executives who have been with the same firm for decades are at some point asked to sign an employment contract or non-compete agreement. Typically when a construction employer begins using contracts with its new hires, they ultimately require all previous employees to sign one. We see this happen often when the employer is merged with another firm or sold, or when there is a major management change in the organization.

Should you sign one?

Unfortunately refusing to sign an employment agreement may result in your employment being terminated. However the law requires that the employer must give something to you in return for your signature if the contract is to be enforceable. A new hire gets a job offer, but an existing employee may get a pay raise, promotion, severance term or some other benefit.

Unless the contract is very simple and clearly understood by you, our advice as construction recruiters is to always have your attorney review any business contracts you sign to make sure you are aware of the risks. Typically the employer who prepares the contract will have the contract written for their advantage not yours, and sometimes the fine print can be a very costly item to overlook.