An employee handbook outlines the policies and procedures of the organization. It is considered a major part of the on-boarding process for employees. Employees have the responsibility of carefully reading the verbiage in the handbook and acknowledging that they understand the policies and procedures. The employee’s acknowledgements are typically done with employers requiring them to sign a document. At that time, employers have written proof that an employee received the handbook and agree to the terms and conditions of the policies. Employees sometimes misunderstand that by refusing to sign the acknowledgement form means that they are not still held accountable for following and complying with the policies and procedures in the handbook. However, this is not the case as the acknowledgement form merely addresses the receipt of the information and not compliance with the policies (Baskin, 1987).
An employer cannot force an employee to sign the handbook acknowledgment. However, if an employee refuses to sign a handbook acknowledgment, an employer does have some options. One option would be to have the
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Employers are able to terminate or discipline employees at any time or reason without involving third parties. This action will save money and time for employers as they avoid lengthy hearings and possible appeals. Moreover, employees must be mindful of the states classified as “employment at will”. For example, The State of Tennessee is recognized as at-will employment state. This means that employers in Tennessee have the ability to suspend, terminate, and discipline employees for any reason (dol.gov). The at-will employment law basically, serves as a tool to assist employers in terminating employees that are guilty of violating company policies. The management team must ensure that proper protocol has been taken to support the employer’s reason for