Do you have an employee refusing to sign your handbook?

Many companies make changes and updates to their company handbook, this is a normal cycle and can happen at any company at any given time. The employee handbook is given to each member of the company to ensure everyone has the same data and keeps everyone accountable. Thus making the handbook a very important tool for both the company and the employee.

When updating the handbook, a company is required to send it to every employee and have them sign that they have read and understood the changes made. Most employees will read this over and have no issue signing a new document, however, there are times where a person is not happy with the change or does not agree to the new terms. When this happens the person likely refuses to sign a new handbook. There can be a number of reasons why an employee would not want to sign the document but the most common is that there is a misunderstanding for the reason of the change.

When dealing with a user that disagrees or refuses to sign the new handbook it is best to have a personal conversation with them to outline why the update is taking place. Ask them why they are not signing and get their understanding that even though they did not sign the new handbook they will still be held to its contents just as all other staff.

If they still refuse to provide their signature acknowledging the document then request that they write on the handbook, ‘I refuse to sign’ and notate that you have communicated key changes to them. It is also a good idea to reiterate that just because they have not signed the update, this does not mean that they are exempt from its contents. This is best done with a witness to attest that the actions taken were just. You will want to make a note and document this occurrence with the employee as well as it may be handy at a later date.

If you're having any type of employee-related issues, our Team can help! Contact us today for assistance.