Understanding full-time contracts: rights and responsibilities

Although we no longer live in a world where a single full-time job lasts a lifetime, full-time employment (working 35 hours or more per week) remains the backbone of modern society. While many organisations have embraced flexible working models, most FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies still rely heavily on full-time employees.

Approximately 70% of UK employees are now full-time, representing a sharp increase in full-time employment since the pandemic. Simultaneously, part-time and freelance work has declined, as many workers have sought greater job security in response to economic uncertainty.

Types of full-time contracts

There are two main types of full-time contracts:

• Permanent Full-Time contract – An open-ended agreement where the employee remains with the company indefinitely until either party terminates the contract.
• Fixed-Term Full-Time contract – A full-time role with a set end date, often used for temporary projects or covering staff absences.

Day 1 Right to a Written Statement of Particulars

In the UK, employers must provide all full-time employees with a written statement of particulars on or before their first day of employment. This document sets out the core terms and conditions, including:

• Employer’s name and employee’s name

• Start date of employment
• Job title or a description of work
• Place of work (or confirmation if the employee works in multiple locations)
• Pay details (including salary, hourly rate, bonuses, and when payment will be made)
• Hours of work, including normal working hours, overtime, and shift patterns
• Holiday entitlement and holiday pay details
• Notice period required from employer and employee
• Contract length (for fixed-term contracts)
• Benefits (such as pensions, sick pay, or company perks)
• Any probationary period (if applicable), including conditions and duration

This information is usually provided in the form of a written employment contract. Within 2 months of joining employees must be provided additional info relating to:

• Pension scheme details
• Collective agreements affecting employment
• Training entitlements
• Disciplinary and grievance procedures

Rights and entitlements for employees on full-time contracts

Full-time employees enjoy a wide range of statutory employment rights, including:

• Full-time employees are entitled to unfair dismissal protection, statutory redundancy pay, and statutory notice periods of 1 week per year of service after two years of continuous service. The value of the statutory redundancy protections is:
  • half a week’s pay for each full year you were under 22
  • one week’s pay for each full year you were 22 or older, but under 41
  • one and half week’s pay for each full year you were 41 or older
• Holiday & Sick Pay – Employees receive a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year (including bank holidays) and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are unwell at £116.75 a week for up to 28 weeks.
• Full-time employees are entitled to maternity, paternity, adoption, and parental leave, ensuring job security during family-related absences. They also receive paid leave as follows:
  • Statutory Maternity Pay for 39 weeks at 90% of average earnings
  • Statutory Paternity Pay for 1-2 weeks at 90% of average earnings
  • Statutory Adoption Pay for 39 weeks at 90% of average earnings
• Employers must enrol eligible employees on full-time contracts into a workplace pension scheme and contribute a minimum of 3% of the employees monthly salary towards their pension savings.
• Employees are covered under the Equality Act 2010, preventing unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics.

Fixed-Term Full-Time contracts: special considerations

Employees on fixed-term full-time contracts are protected under the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002. This ensures that fixed-term employees:

• Cannot be treated less favourably than permanent full-time employees unless objectively justified.
• Must receive the same benefits (e.g., pensions, bonuses) as permanent employees.

A common concern is whether pension auto-enrolment applies to fixed-term full-time workers. The answer is yes—all employees over 22 years old earning over £192 per week must be auto-enrolled.

Additionally, fixed-term full-time employees with 4+ years of continuous service automatically become permanent, unless the employer can justify continuing their fixed-term status. The burden of proof rests on the employer.

Full-time contracts remain the foundation of modern employment, offering stability, legal protections, and benefits  unmatched by freelance work. In the post-pandemic world, the shift back to full-time employment reflects workers’ prioritisation of job security and long-term career growth.

Employers must ensure compliance with legal requirements, including issuing a written statement of particulars on Day 1, providing equal benefits for fixed-term and part-time employees, and respecting redundancy and unfair dismissal rights.