Can my employers make me sign something?

[bulb763]

My employers (global company) have recently introduced a "Global Code of Conduct". To do with good ethics/business practices/morals/etc. As far as I can tell, they've always had a code of conduct of sorts, but called something different.

They are treating the introduction of this CoC quite seriously. Every employee (certainly in my business area, perhaps the entire company) has had to attend a briefing and sign a register to say that they've attended the briefing. We've also been given a CoC booklet with a detatchable slip to say we've read and agree with everything. Everyone has been "encouraged" to return this slip. Encouraged, in the sense that, it seems to me at least, the company can't make us sign it, but they really really want us to (i.e. presented as non-optional). There is also CoC training that we have been "encouraged" to take.

Now I've got a few issues with this and so far have refused to sign anything other than the register for the briefing we had. Mainly because the fact we have to sign all this guff seems to pressume that we are unethical/immoral unless we read and sign everything. A lot of it is patronising nonsense too. I am ethically and morally above-board and I believe I should be pressumed and treated as such until I behave otherwise. Particularly by my own employer.

There are a few other reasons why I am reluctant to sign it. Without being to specific, a few newsworthy-events in the past few years have perhaps tarnished the companies reputation, which it is obvious they are trying to repair with this stunt.

My line-manager has told me that HR and maybe some other middle-manager want to speak with me about it. I'm guessing they want to hear my reasons (which I'll gladly explain) and if they don't think they're valid I fear they may want to take some sort of action...

Regardless of my reaons though, can they make me sign something like this in this way? As far as I'm aware no-one in my immediate team has refused to sign anything. I am also aware that I will be seen perhaps as a bit of a troublemaker. But my reasons are genuine.

Sorry for the long post.

[spikeyhead]

I went through this not long after Kovlovski got about 999 years in jail through taking a few pennies of the US taxman whilst head of Tyco.

I signed but made a note of 28 objections on the slip I signed and made them sign my list of 28 objections.

I have no idea how they managed to find someone stupid enough to create the document that gave them the right to sack me if I had some anti-biotics at work, or any other controlled substance, but that was one example and there were a lot more similar.

Perhaps you could consider the same, I can't remember how much I didn't object to, but there wasn't much left after I'd been through it.

[Jasper Gilder]

What's the point? If they have made it mandatory for all staff, sent you a copy and you haven't signed it , but are still working, you are deemed to have accepted it anyway.

If you really object you have to raise grievances and eventually resign claiming you can't work under these conditions

If I was them I'd note your concerns and put the matter to bed

[Odie]

When i was working as a shelf stacker we would often have sheets to sign (just a sheet full of signatures)for different things I regularly refused to sign them unless I was given a proper document with the information on it, that a copy was added too my employee file and I was given a copy for my records, that the document was counter signed by the HR director (These forms and procedures where knocked up by some pleb middle manager and often head office wasnt even aware of them). Most of the time none of these things were done so i never signed them. More often than not the thing I was signing was part of the standard employment contract.