Can an employee be terminated for refusal to sign policy?
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Can an employee be terminated for refusal to sign policy?
Employee was given a written form of job expectations after working for the
organization for 6 months. The expectations were not different than what the
employee was hired for and are not different than what the employee has done for
6 months. However, this would be the first time the employee has been asked to
sign the expectations. Can an employer tell the employee that they may not
return to work until the paper has been reviewed and signed? If employee decides
not to sign off on expectations, can the employer claim that the employee has
declined to fulfill their job?
Asked on February 14, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Actually, an employee can be fired for this reason, any reason or no reason at all (with or without notice). The fact is that most employment relationships are "at will". This means that a company can set the conditions of the workplace much as it sees fit. This includes whether or not to discipline a worker for not signing a policy document. The exceptions here would be if this action violates the terms of an employment contract/union agreement or if it constitutes some form of legally actionable discrimination. For your part, you can either comply and sign, refuse to do so but risk termination, or quit.
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