Formatafter Receiving All Original Documents From The Employee.

Recently, I have joined an IT software company as an HR. In our organization, some employees recently left their jobs without any prior intimation to management. As a result, we have implemented a new policy requiring new employees to submit their original documents for security purposes. The originals will be returned to the employees upon separation.

I am in need of a format regarding the submission of original documents from new joiners. Additionally, I am looking for a format on behalf of the company to acknowledge the receipt of all original documents from the employee. Please provide the same format that we can give to new employees for the submission of their original documents.

First things first, please understand that you cannot retain original documents as a security deposit. While you can ask employees, upon joining, to produce all originals for verification, retaining them beyond that would not be legally sound. The employee is the owner of their educational certificates, and the employer has no right to take this property under their control in a way that prevents the employee from using their own property. For instance, tomorrow the employee may wish to pursue higher studies, and the employer might then deny access to the original documents, causing issues.

As an HR professional, it is crucial to identify the root cause of high attrition rates. Is the pay package lower than that offered by competing firms? Is the working environment poor, prompting employees to seek opportunities elsewhere? It is important to put on your thinking cap, along with other senior employees, to brainstorm solutions on how to retain employees effectively.

Keeping original documents leads to a breach of the Bonded Labour Act. Also, this is not a good practice. If attrition is high, identify the reasons, communicate them to the management, and then work on resolving the issues with the approval of management.

Dear,

You intend to act illegally. An HR personnel has no right to keep original documents of an employee to retain forcefully in the organization. The same principle applies to you as well, as you are also an employee of the organization. How can you act like an owner of the organization?

Think before you act.

Best regards,

Dear All,

Thank you for your response and advice. I specifically do not intend to jeopardize anybody or their future. I will definitely consider consulting legal advice before implementing such practices.

Thanks,