Offer letter, appointment letter, agreement: the order they go in
Three documents in a hire, each doing a different job. Sending the wrong one, or only one, is how disputes over notice periods and probation start.
5 min read · updated
Most small employers send one document and hope it covers everything. It usually does not, and the gap surfaces at exit rather than at hire, which is the worst time to discover that notice period was never written down.
| Document | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Offer letter | After the verbal yes | Invites them to join, on stated terms |
| Appointment letter | On or before day one | Governs the employment itself |
| Employment agreement | With the appointment | Covers confidentiality, IP, restrictions |
The offer letter is an invitation
It confirms role, compensation, joining date and location, and gives the candidate something to sign to accept. Keep it short. Its job is to convert a conversation into a commitment, not to enumerate every policy. A signature block for acceptance matters more than length: without it, you have no record that they agreed to anything.
Write an offer letterSend a professional job offer letter in minutes.The appointment letter is the operative document
This is the one that governs the job once they have accepted, and it is the one most often skipped. It should state probation length, notice period on both sides, reporting line, working hours and the terms on which employment can end. If you write only one document, write this one.
Write an appointment letterConfirm an appointment with a formal letter.The agreement covers what the letter should not
Confidentiality, ownership of work product, and any restriction on competing or soliciting belong in an employment agreement rather than buried in an appointment letter. Two reasons: they need more words than a letter can carry gracefully, and restrictive covenants are the clauses most likely to be tested, so they benefit from being drafted deliberately.
Draft an employment agreementDraft an employment agreement covering role, pay and terms.And at the other end
When someone leaves, a relieving letter records that notice was served and dues were settled. Their next employer will usually ask for it before onboarding, so withholding it is a real cost to the person, and issuing it promptly is a small kindness that costs you nothing.
Issue a relieving letterFormally relieve an employee on their last working day.