How Should We Handle an Employee Refusing to Submit Original Certificates Under New Policy?

Dear Members,

I work for an SME in Hyderabad. We have recently introduced the policy of collecting the original education certificates (for strategic reasons) of new joiners and keeping them with us for a period of 1.5 years from the date of joining. We also provide them with a stamped paper as proof that the certificates are in our custody.

Employee Refusal to Submit Certificates

This particular case involves an employee who was selected from campus last year when the policy was not in effect. However, now that we have the policy in place, we need to collect the certificates. The employee is refusing to submit the documents, stating that he was not informed about this requirement. We have not been able to reach a decision on the matter, and the employee is currently on the payroll, working and earning a salary. It has been 2 months, and we aim to make a decision before confirmation.

Please advise on the necessary actions to take in this situation.

Don't you have any clause in the Appointment Letter that states the company policies may change from time to time and will have to be followed? Though the wording could vary, I hope you get the gist of what I mentioned. You can use that clause in this situation.

Employee's Standpoint

Coming to the stand of the employee, he actually does have a point—he might have left other offers at the campus for your company. If it's only this person, then maybe you could take a 'one-time' decision to exempt him—subject to some other mutually agreeable means to handle the main reason for holding certificates.

HR Perspective

Also, purely from the HR perspective, you SHOULD HAVE factored this situation [of those who were given the Offers but haven't yet joined when you changed the Policy] while devising your policy framework—especially since this is quite an important factor for anyone.

Regards,
TS

It is sad when reputed companies do not honor a deal made with employees. If the employee knew about this during his interview, he might have looked for other job options. The fact that he didn't join any other company for a year is a small yet significant proof of trust on his part. I think you should respect him for it, and if the collection of certificates was not a part of the agreement with that employee, you shouldn't impose on him. If you still go ahead with this policy, you have to answer one question: "How will this policy help in building employee loyalty and trust?" To me, this is the dog training strategy: it is like tying a leash to a new dog so they don't run away. The day you leave the leash, two things happen: if the dog dislikes the treatment, it will run away. If the dog doesn't run away, it will mess up your house and just sit around, doing nothing.

I don't know what "strategic reason" this policy is based on, but I do know one thing that applies to human beings in any situation—career, relationships, etc.—that is human beings need to have a certain sense of control in order to perform well. They need to know the exit, just in case they probably won't ever use it. Ever heard the expression "I feel suffocated working here"? It means they need to have the sense that there is an open window.

Such a policy only deals with the symptoms (assuming it is the fact that employees don't work for long and leave) of the disease "(perception of) poor work environment," and your firm needs to work on your brand image so that potential employees want to join there and current employees want to remain there for long.

I hope you can come up with better strategies for keeping your employees. Brand your firm so it becomes a dream company for college students, and employees are working there not because they have to but because they want to.

Regards,
Avinash Tavares
Trainer & Life Coach
YouthEmpowermentSolutions(dot)org

Good Answer Avinash. Employers shouldn't treat the employee as bonded labor; instead, they should improve the working conditions significantly.

I would like to add something to Avinash's reply. Do you think that holding your employees' degrees will achieve your goal? This is an example of bad HR practice. I am certain it will increase attrition and dissatisfaction. HR policies should be founded on trust and respect, which are lacking in this situation.

The Pygmalion Effect

The Pygmalion effect, as described by Livingston, states that "employees will rise to meet the expectations set for them." If we expect them to leave, they will likely leave. Instead, conduct an organizational analysis to identify the root causes of attrition.

Regards,
Saurabh