You may know it to be standard protocol to sign an employment agreement when you initially accept a job offer at a New Jersey-based company. However, you may have never experienced your employer approaching you mid-employment to sign a new agreement with updated and revised provisions. Here, you may feel pressured to blindly sign it, out of fear of losing your employment otherwise. Well, if you find yourself in this predicament, please read on to discover whether your employer can force you to sign a new contract in the middle of your employment and how a seasoned employment agreement attorney in Gloucester County NJ, at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C., can help you review its terms and conditions.
Can my employer force me to sign a new contract mid-employment?
Your New Jersey-based employer is allowed to bring forward a new employment agreement even after you already started working for them. However, it is illegal for them to “force” you to sign this agreement through duress or undue influence. So, your employer cannot change the terms of your employment without informing you first; this may be considered a unilateral change that results in a breach of contract. At the same time, they must receive your explicit, willing consent to these changes, otherwise this legally-binding contract may be deemed invalid and ineffective.
What happens if I refuse to sign a new employment contract?
New Jersey is an at-will employment state, meaning that you or your employer may terminate your employment at any time, for any reason, without any legal consequences. So say, for instance, that your employer creates a new employment agreement that changes the roles and responsibilities that fall under your given job title. Well, if you do not want to take on these duties, you may refuse to provide your signature. While you have the right to refuse your signature, your employer equally has the right to fire you over your unwillingness to comply with their new terms and conditions. Further, if you get fired over a refusal to sign, you may even become disqualified from receiving the government’s unemployment benefits program, among other consequences.
However, you must understand that your employer only has the grounds to act in this way if their new terms and conditions are legal. That is, if you refuse to sign off on any terms and conditions that violate federal and state employment laws, and you get terminated as a result, you may have a valid lawsuit on your hands. This may be if your employer wants to change your wages to below minimum wage, increase your working hours to over the legal limit, or otherwise.
If you require further consulting, look no further than one of the competent New Jersey employment lawyers from The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. Schedule your initial consultation with us today.
