Your contract is an agreement between two parties, so as a rule neither side can change it alone. In practice, employers do try, and the answer depends on what the contract already says.
Changes your contract already allows
Many contracts include a flexibility clause, for example on place of work or duties. A reasonable change within that clause can usually go ahead without your agreement.
Changes that need your agreement
Pay, hours and core duties normally need your consent. If you keep working under new terms without objecting, you may be treated as having accepted them, so put any objection in writing early.
Silence can count as agreement. If a new rota or pay rate arrives and you keep working without saying anything, it may be treated as accepted, so raise your objection in writing before the change takes effect and keep a copy of what you sent.
What to do next
- Ask for the proposed change in writing.
- What is changing, and from which date
- Why the business says the change is needed
- Check your contract and staff handbook.
- Raise concerns in writing before the change takes effect.
If the change has already happened, book a free 30-minute call and bring the letter or email that announced it.
