I was offered a job on a Wednesday, on the phone and then by email. I was surprised when the contract details were embedded in the email itself. No signatures, just email. I replied that it should be written up as a formal contract and signed by a director of the company. That was on Wednesday morning. I added three clauses regarding vacation pay, overtime pay and statutory holiday pay. The email reply on Wednesday indicated they would get back to me quickly. The initial verbal and email offer was May 27, with a start date of June 1.

I enquired on Thursday about the update to the contract and was told it was coming. On Friday, at 4:00 pm, I got the contract. The contract made it clear none of the clauses I requested would be agreed to. In addition, there was a new clause added that said:

The employee agrees they have been given the opportunity to review this agreement with a lawyer.

Who can consult with a lawyer at 4:00 pm on a Friday? Surely they knew this.

The combination of the timing of the final delivery of the contract, the unwillingness of the employer to agree to standard employment terms of vacation, overtime and stat holiday pay and the addition of clause that states I've been given the opportunity to consult with a lawyer when that was clearly not true, to me, indicates a minimum of manipulated pressure and a maximum of sheer dishonesty. It also indicates a complete disrespect at a very early stage of this new relationship.

I realize I could have changed the start date to June 2, which would have enabled me to consult with a lawyer. I believe all that would have accomplished with a lawyer visit is a $250 bill and a confirmation of my suspicions indicated above.

Reading between the lines is so important when you are given a contract.

Yes, I may be wrong, but it seemed to me they were completely unwilling to negotiate and I was lucky to dodge a bullet. Any other insights?