Hi, I work for an IT company.
In this company, for onsite traveling employees, there is a service agreement to be acknowledged online before the travel tickets are booked. This service agreement states that the company has spent 4.2 lakhs on training, abroad lodging, and boarding, and the company will recover this amount from the employee if he does not return to India and serve for 6 months. Additionally, after reaching abroad, the employee must sign this service agreement and send it to HR; otherwise, the onsite salary will be blocked.
In my case, I acknowledged the service agreement online before my travel abroad (by pressing the accept button, which triggers auto emails to HR and the supervisor). Please note that I have not physically signed the agreement/bond. After arriving abroad, I submitted my resignation papers without sending any signed copy of the service agreement to HR. Fortunately, my exit formalities went smoothly.
Now, after 4 months of my resignation, the company has sent a lawyer's notice through a law firm, asking me to pay the 4.2 lakhs since I acknowledged the bond online. 😬
My question is, do I need to worry about this lawyer's notice and pay 4.2 lakhs to the company, as I have not signed any physical bond/agreement at any point in time? Can they take legal action for just acknowledging the service agreement/bond online?
In this company, for onsite traveling employees, there is a service agreement to be acknowledged online before the travel tickets are booked. This service agreement states that the company has spent 4.2 lakhs on training, abroad lodging, and boarding, and the company will recover this amount from the employee if he does not return to India and serve for 6 months. Additionally, after reaching abroad, the employee must sign this service agreement and send it to HR; otherwise, the onsite salary will be blocked.
In my case, I acknowledged the service agreement online before my travel abroad (by pressing the accept button, which triggers auto emails to HR and the supervisor). Please note that I have not physically signed the agreement/bond. After arriving abroad, I submitted my resignation papers without sending any signed copy of the service agreement to HR. Fortunately, my exit formalities went smoothly.
Now, after 4 months of my resignation, the company has sent a lawyer's notice through a law firm, asking me to pay the 4.2 lakhs since I acknowledged the bond online. 😬
My question is, do I need to worry about this lawyer's notice and pay 4.2 lakhs to the company, as I have not signed any physical bond/agreement at any point in time? Can they take legal action for just acknowledging the service agreement/bond online?