HR Business Writing - Writing Employment Contracts and Job Descriptions in Plain English

Presented by the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand
Led by Angie Collins, Write Limited

• Introduction
• Course Description
• Learning Objectives
• HRINZ HR Competencies Include
• Who Should Attend
• Topics Covered
• Presenter
• 2012 Date and Venue
• Registration fees
• Cancellations

Introduction

It’s important to get the employment relationship right from the start by clearly communicating to new employees their obligations, rights, and duties. Two of the most important documents that set out these mutual expectations are the employment contract and the job description.

A May 2011 survey by Write Limited showed that 94% of respondents believed employment contracts should be in plain English. But more than half (53%) of respondents said their own employment contract was written in unfriendly legalese. There is also plenty of evidence to suggest that many job descriptions are also hard to understand and follow because of bureaucratic jargon, abstract concepts, and an absence of useful information.

Level: General

Course Description

This course is designed to help HR professionals produce plain English employment contracts and job descriptions. The course will be extremely practical and participants will work on transforming some of their own organisation’s contracts and job descriptions throughout the day. Each participant will leave with a clear understanding of what a plain English employment contract and job description look like and a plan to improve these documents in their own organisation.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the connection between clear communication and an organisation’s desired image and values

• Understand the impact of legalese and unclear writing on the employment relationship and on the health of the organisation

• Identify the key principles and scope of plain English—all of the principles that work together to make a document clear, understandable, and actionable

• Understand how to apply plain English to employment contracts, including how to communicate expectations to the in-house lawyer or legal advisor

• Understand how to apply plain English to job descriptions and assess whether the job description is fit for purpose

HRINZ HR Competencies Include

• Business Knowledge (Value chain, Value proposition and People Value)

• HR Delivery (Staffing and Recruitment, Performance Management, Legal Compliance and Employee Relations)

• Personal Credibility (Personal Communication)

• Strategic Contribution (Culture Management)

  
  

Who Should Attend

This course offers practical skills to all HR professionals.

Topics Covered

• Context for the course—the international trend toward plain English in government and the professions

• The connection between clear communication and an organisation’s desired image and values—what your job descriptions say about your organisation

• The impact of legalese and unclear writing on individuals, relationships, and productivity

• The reader’s perspective—the shortcut to clear writing

• Plain English—what it is and what it isn’t, key principles, and the scope of plain English

• A framework to understand and apply plain English

• How to apply a plain English framework to employment contracts, including how to communicate expectations to your in-house lawyer or legal advisor (including practice with your own documents)

• How to apply plain a plain English framework to job descriptions (including practice with your own documents)

• How to test whether a contract or job description is fit for purpose

• How to create an action plan to improve employment contracts and job descriptions in your own organisation

Presenter

This workshop will be delivered by Angie Collins, plain English specialist and trainer from Write Limited. Angie specialises in plain English in business communication. She has many years experience working with business professionals in many disciplines, including HR, in the public and private sectors. She understands how to write documents that create the sense of the goodwill and clarity that underpin any good employment relationship. Her experience dates back to the start of the plain English revolution in business writing. She couples this knowledge with a degree in psychology, and a training style that is engaging and insightful.

2012 Date and Venue

11 July 2012, 9.00-4.30pm
Room 28.01, Top floor, Level 28 Majestic Centre, 100 Willis Street, Wellington

Please note that this workshop was originally booked for 8 March 2012 but was changed to July in late February.  Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
 
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Registration fees

HRINZ Members $700.00+gst
Non Members $995.00+gst

Your course fee includes morning and afternoon tea and lunch

Cancellations

Please see the cancellation policy.

Please note that if you join HRINZ between 1st January and 31 March and you would like to attend a HRINZ workshop or seminar at the member rate, to be eligible to do so HRINZ requires you to pay for the following year’s membership fees at the time of registering.