Use this letter to document an hourly employees terms of the employment relationship in advance of the employees start date. If you wish to utilize a background check, a written job offer of employment must be provided prior to conducting a background check. 

Pro tip: Delay the start date of employment until after any reference or background checks have been completed. After you make an offer and the candidate gives notice, you can be held liable for losses suffered by the candidate should you subsequently withdraw the offer. Damages can include loss of earnings that would have been received at the candidate’s previous job through retirement.

Use this letter to provide the details of at-will employment, rate of pay, job title, classification, and start date/time when offering employment to a nonexempt (hourly) employee.

Take care to prepare an accurate offer letter. You may be responsible for promises made about the scope, compensation, security and working conditions even though the employment relationship is on an at-will basis.

As a best practice, employers should set the employment expectations in writing at the onset of the relationship in order to create open communication about duties and responsibilities for the position. CDA provides sample job descriptions for a variety of positions commonly found in dental practices.