Is a Soft Copy of My Confirmation Letter Enough, or Do I Need a Hard Copy by Law?

Dear Seniors,

I have requested a confirmation letter from the organization, and they have provided me with a soft copy. Upon asking for a hard copy, they mentioned that it is company policy to provide a soft copy. Is a soft copy valid? Can I quote any law which states that a hard copy on company letterhead is a must for all communication to existing employees? Please help.

Hi,

A soft copy is valid as long as it is on the company's letterhead and signed by the authorized signatory. Additionally, it should be sent from the company's official email ID.

Mr. Kamble is right if the appointment letter carries:

1. Company letterhead
2. Signed by the competent authority
3. Official seal
4. Communicated from a company official ID

If anything is missing, it cannot have legal sanction.

Dear all,

Please clarify how the soft copy is signed?

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

Dear Vinayak,

Many companies have the policy to prepare a letter with an authorized signatory and stamp. Instead of issuing a hard copy to the employee, that copy is placed in the file, and a scanned copy or soft copy of the same is sent to the employee via email or on the company's online personal portal.

Thank you.

Dear Manoj,

The legal validity of such a computer-generated, unsigned letter can be called into question if it is challenged in court.

Regards,

Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

It is presumed that the employee has received a hard copy of the appointment letter duly signed by the appointing authority. Consequently, the confirmation letter should also be issued in hard copy duly signed by the authorized signatory.

When you work in any organization, you should trust the organization, its governance, and the overall management. If you have received communication in the form of an email, you need not worry. There is no point in worrying about whether you received one on letterhead with the seal and signature because many companies have stopped issuing offer letters, performance reviews, payslips, etc., in hard-copy format. More HR transaction work is happening online.

If you have doubts about the integrity of the organization, such as management failing to gain your trust in their activities and leadership, or any validated occurrences where management breached contracts with employees/customers, then it's time for you to search for a new job.

If you believe you are in a good company, receiving your salary on time, having a reasonably good work ambiance, and a good ecosystem to learn, stay happy. There is no need to worry about a hard copy of a confirmation letter; the salary credited to your bank account itself is evidence that you are working and being paid by the organization.