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 exempt (salaried) employee. If you wish to utilize a background check, a written offer of employment must be provided prior to conducting a background check. 

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.

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.

Ensuring employees are classified correctly can significantly reduce wage and hour issues within the practice. CDA Practice Support has provided a checklist to use as a guideline to quickly help you determine if you have correctly classified your employee. If you are considering classifying any of your team members as exempt, all of the duties and minimum salary requirements under the category must be met before doing so. 

Utilize a job description to document the employees exempt responsibilities.