Locksmith & Key Technician Employment Agreement

What a good one includes

• A comprehensive inventory list detailing which high-value tools, programmers, and decoders are supplied by the shop versus those the technician must provide personally.
• Clear guidelines on the scheduling rotation for after-hours emergency calls, including response time windows and specific commission or flat-rate compensation structures.
• Strict confidentiality clauses prohibiting the disclosure or unauthorized retention of master key charts, safe codes, bitting lists, or customer access credentials.
• Specific terms regarding the use of branded service vans, including maintenance responsibilities, fuel card usage, and whether personal commuting is permitted.
• An optional repayment clause outlining how training or licensing costs incurred by the business are handled if an apprentice leaves shortly after getting certified.
• A protective clause preventing departing employees from redirecting commercial lock accounts or residential clients to a competing business or their own independent venture.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Failing to define who pays for lost or damaged specialized programming equipment, which can lead to expensive disputes over expensive transponder devices.
• Using a generic office employment template that completely ignores the legalities of round-the-clock emergency dispatch schedules and travel-time compensation.
• Neglecting to establish ownership of customer databases, allowing departing technicians to easily walk away with valuable commercial property management contacts.
• Vaguely defining "on-call" status without specifying whether that time is considered compensable waiting time under local labor laws.

Frequently asked questions