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Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees
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Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees
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Can email be the sole source used to communicate a change in a policy/benefit to employees? For example, a change in a workmen's compensation procedure indicating employees have 24 hours to alert thei
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Forums  »  Topic Forums  »  Legal Forum  »  Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees

Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees

posted at 9/7/2010 7:45 AM EDT
Posts: 1
First: 9/7/2010
Last: 9/7/2010
Can email be the sole source used to communicate a change in a policy/benefit to employees? For example, a change in a workmen's compensation procedure indicating employees have 24 hours to alert their manager they have been hurt on the job - failure to do so in 24 hours may result in discipline of the employee.
Is there a legal issue with sending the notice out only on email rather than obtaining an employee signature noting they have read and understand the policy change?
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Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees

posted at 9/7/2010 7:55 AM EDT
Posts: 1771
First: 10/24/2002
Last: 9/14/2011
I don't see any legal issues, however, please understand that only about 20% of your employees are going to actually read this email message. And that you're going to get a lot of flack when one of the other 80% is injured, breaks the unread policy, and gets disciplined. And that this may turn into a big legal problem when the employee hires an attorney to make a claim against your company for disciplining people because they make WCB claims.
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Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees

posted at 9/13/2010 1:23 PM EDT
Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000
Last: 9/14/2011
IMHO this is very problematic.

You would have to be able to demonstrate to a certainty that all of your staff received and opened it.

How would you rebut the argument before a judge who asks "how do you actually know that they received the materials or understand the impact?"

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Forums » Topic Forums » Legal Forum » Using Email to Communicate a Benefits Change to Employees

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