Have You Ever Signed a Letter That States Your Job's Requirements?

Question

A friend of mine has been asked to sign a letter agreeing to work certain days of the week if the employer asks him to. The friend is just starting this job.

My impression is that an employer can ask you to work whenever the employer wants. But, I have NEVER heard of anyone signing a letter concering their job --- assuming the job isn't at a very high level within the company.

Have you ever signed a letter that details anything about your job when you are first hired?

Answer 1

I have never signed a letter like that. I think this portends to what kind of boss this person will be, maybe time to keep looking for a job.

Answer 2

I wasn't but my employer started doing it after I was hired; this is a trick about the days becuase usually it is the time of day that becomes an issue. In my case it was in a call center. The call center mandated that everyone work on Mondays due to high call volume no matter what-employees who used a vacation day were verbally reprimanded; employees who called in were suspended w/o pay for 2 days

All new employees were asked to sign an agreement that they would work 10 hour shifts on Mondays and if they called in sick they would be terminated. That was in the small print that none of them noticed until the first person was fired.

By law you can only be mandated to work a 40 hour work week (or whatever is specified) if you are in a union.

If you are salaried they can demand that you work until the job is done within reason (hence the start of the term workalohic and 60-80 hour work weeks)

If you are not salaried they say that you cant be forced but if you don't you may find yourself without a job :-)

Answer 3

Sounds normal to me, especially in a low level job inwhich the company probably deals with a lot of knuckleheads, but I hope for the employers sake they put something in whatever your friend signed that said something to the effect of, "and whatever else I ask you to do so long as it is reasonable in the confines of this job."

By signing that, the company is just CTA's so they can fire or have some sort of diciplinary action if need be.

Answer 4

You're right,something sounds fishy.If you need the job very bad,you may have to accept that,but that puts this person in a very vulnerable position.I would not do it,unless he outlined what was expected of me and when.