Q: We are a new construction company and want to find out the best way to employ staff for specific projects. We have a project that will run for approximately 12 months and need to put on administration staff. At the end of the project, if there are no new projects, we would no longer need those positions.

If these staff members are employed full-time, can they be dismissed based on no work or can we employ them on a contract for the life of the specific project?

A: Yes, you can employ people for a ‘fixed’ or ‘maximum’ period that can be a length of time or a defined project/result.

It is important that this is well documented in their employment agreements. If you don’t draft the contracts properly you may end up exposed to unfair dismissal claims or redundancy pay claims where you could avoid these if the agreements are well drafted.

We suggest you get professional assistance to draft these agreements.

Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Be aware that laws may change over time. Refer to Recruitment and Employment contracts: Drafting a legally enforceable contract for current advice.