Can We Legally Extend an Employee's Termination Date on Their Relieving Letter?

Hello,

An employee from our company worked until mid-June. His salary has been paid until the actual last date worked. However, he wants his last date of employment on the relieving letter to show as the end of July and requires us to mention that he was on sick leave until the end of July. Is it possible to do that?

Handling False Attendance Requests

The employee is showing false attendance. However, what purpose will it serve? Why does he want to do that?

These kinds of things happen based on trust. If you are confident that the employee will not use this extended tenure to cover up any unlawful activity, then you may proceed. However, there is also a risk involved. It could set a trend, and others may also make similar demands.

If you are certain that the employee will not misuse the extended tenure for any shady dealings, you will have to do some backend work. Ask the employee to submit an application for Leave Without Pay (LWP) until 31-Jul-2016 and show his discharge from your company on that day. However, the extent to which the HRIS, the software that you use, will support this, remains to be seen.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Do not do it. The certificate must be as per your records only - nothing more and nothing less. Who knows whether that employee will claim later for other benefits for additional days he worked as per his certificate? Strictly speaking, do not encourage such requests. If he wants to have his experience certificate to show that he worked until the end of June, he would not have resigned early in the first place.