HRSINGAPORE Community

Hi HR Professionals,

We always receive a request from reporting/line manager for a copy of their employee employment contract.

Do you share an employee's contract with their manager?

If not, how can we explain or convince people that employment contracts are confidential?

They may ask for information about it from HR but keeping a copy of it is not permitted.

Thanks,

Lindy

HR Poll: Do you share an employee's contract with their manager?

Yes: 29.31%

No: 65.52%

Maybe: 5.17%

REPLIES & COMMENTS: 

We share the employment contract with the manager but our organization is still small and flat, so the managers wear different hats. However, when we grow bigger, it would be good practice to restrict the sharing of the contract to only the HR department. - Gladys

Hi Lindy, anything that belongs to the P/File is confidential and personal to the employee. While the line manager does have a 'right' to know what is in the contract offered to his/her staff, he/she does not have a right to retain a copy of the contract. my stance is: Ask for the purpose of having the copy. Educate the line managers that it is not required for them to have a copy, but if they ever needed any information, they can always approach HR for the information. Let's also not forget about PDPA where employee consent may be required, depending on the information the line manager is asking for. - Carol

We will share employee contracts with their direct reporting manager who has the decision rights to their performance appraisal/merit increment / Bonus recommendation. - Lynn

The line manager can take an extract of non-personal information if required but not a copy. - Cherie

No. - Agnes

Yes, provided the manager reports directly to the CEO. - Jessica

The employment contract is confidential by nature. - GTS

The employment contract is confidential. If the line manager needs a copy, he/she can check with HR. - JNT

It all depends on what the reporting manager is looking for. They cannot keep any copies of the employee contracts. - Janet

You may ask the Manager what he/she wants to know and HR can advise accordingly. - TLL

In the organisations I have worked for, we would usually share a copy upon request. I had never really considered what type of confidential data the contract would contain that the manager wouldn't be permitted to know. We use standard templates for an employment contract, as such, it is more a summary of the T&C of employment of what had been agreed with the employee at a given time/country. I wonder though also what need the manager has to want the contract, rather than just confirming with HR a detail when it is required. - Danielle

No. - Adelynn

As the employment contract is made between the Company and the staff, therefore the HR department carries the responsibility to protect the integrity of the contracts. All employment contracts are marked "Confidential" and it is the HR department's right to reject any request from staff who is not the contractual party. - TNJ