Human Resources for Allied Health Professionals: A guide to drafting physiotherapist contracts
Drafting employment contracts for your business is both difficult and can be dangerous if done incorrectly. An employment contract should include all of the basic, important terms of employment for a specific role. It is legally enforceable and governs the legal relationship between yourself and your employee.
A physiotherapist’s contract will include many provisions which are common to all employment contracts such as hours of work, place of work and termination. It may, however, include role specific clauses such as a confidential information clause and an additional remuneration clause.
In a physio’s contract, it is vital that a confidential information clause is added. A physio will work with clients and the details of such a relationship must be kept confidential. If a confidentiality clause is located within your physio’s contract, your business will be adequately protected against any confidentiality issues which arise through the course of business.
Additionally, if you have a contract with such a clause, and if your employee is in breach, they will be in breach of the employment contract. A breach of an employment contract gives you the right to end your relationship with your employee quickly and easily.
An ‘additional remuneration’ clause is optional in a physio’s contract, but may help entice an employee. Such a clause could allow for the usage of a laptop, a mobile phone and ensure that you, the employer will pay the required professional indemnity insurance of your employee.
Such a clause for a Wollongong-based physio practice may look like this:
- In addition to your annual rate of pay we will allow you the use of a laptop and Mobile phone.
- We will pay the required professional indemnity insurance.
- We will contribute fifteen hundred dollars ($1500.00) to your AHPR and APA registration and memberships.
- If you leave this employment in the first year of your employment, we reserve the right to claim back from you the amount of such contribution based on the length of your service with us.
