How Can I Introduce Appointment Letters for Long-term NGO Employees?

Hi everyone,

I have recently joined an NGO that does not follow the practice of issuing appointment letters to employees. Here, almost all the employees have been working for about 10-15 years, receiving all the benefits without formal letters.

I have been tasked with streamlining these processes and am looking to create letter formats to address this issue as soon as possible.

I am eagerly awaiting your prompt response.

Thanks,
Jayarani J

The Importance of Employment Contracts

Where there is an employer-employee relationship, there ought to be a contract of employment. The terms under which the employee is working and the remuneration for that work should be clearly defined. Various laws govern this, such as the Industrial Employment Standing Orders Act. A written appointment letter serves as one form of proof of employment, outlining specific conditions related to the position or the company. However, an appointment letter cannot override the provisions of the Act. Other forms of proof of employment include salary slips, bank statements showing salary credits, authorization letters, work records, and muster rolls.

Benefits of Issuing an Appointment Letter

Issuing an appointment letter is beneficial and recommended. In such a document, you can include additional details. For instance, when specifying the date of appointment, you can state that the appointment is effective from a previous date.

Regards, Vibhakar Ramtirthkar

Dear All,

Thank you for the replies. There are two categories of employment: salary and honorarium. I am in the honorarium cadre. I have joined very recently and I want to know if I am authorized to issue letters to the workers who have been working for about 25 years.

Dear Jayarani J, it is understood from the post that your organization is 15-20 years old, and people are working without an appointment letter. Now, your management wants to streamline by issuing appointment letters to all working in your organization. Your organization is sailing smoothly with the staff not having any appointment letter to date.

It is often seen that certain wordings and sentences that give the wrong interpretation may lead to future problems. The information provided in your post is not sufficient to gain a thorough understanding of your organization and its practices to suggest any improvements. It would be prudent on your part to discuss the whole situation in depth with a knowledgeable HR consultant or advocate.

Issuing Appointment Letters

1. You can issue the appointment letter on the current date, effective from the original date if the original date is available in the company records.

2. I think you will not face any problems.

3. Ensure that their designations, etc., are mentioned correctly. Also, cover all the benefits the organization is extending to them.

4. There is no advantage in pondering over past inaction; it can be corrected now once and for all, and a new process will be established for the future.

Warm Regards,

Bharat Gera
HR Consultant
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