Why won't new employee sign his mileage claim?

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The usual process is that forms are completed online, printed, signed and handed to the office admin with a petrol receipt.

Yes, it's a bit antiquated but it works. New employee is kicking up an almighty fuss about how he should be able to submit it with his name typed, rather than an actual signature. He's still printing the form and handing it in, so it's not about inefficiency, he just keeps saying he doesn't see why it needs a signature.

I can't get to the bottom of why it matters so much to him that he'd make this much fuss, over something so minor, in his first few weeks in a new job.

What am I missing?

Is he on the other side of the country? Would he have to post it to you, whereas if he can type it, he can submit on-line and cut the claim time by three days?

Or he’s just a bit pedantic?

Can he read and write?

If it isn't signed it doesn't get paid. Simple as.

Why does it need to be signed though? He's probably just trying to expose a rule for rules sake.

Can he scan his signature in and copy and paste it to the form, and then you're both happy?

He's using a false name and hadn't thought of a signature.

He's an undercover cop and doesn't want to leave a paper trail.

Tell him to take it up with someone who gives a shit.

He's an environmentalist and doesn't want to waste ink?

He's happy to hand in his paper form with the petrol receipt, it's the signature he objects to.

He needs to sign as as proof that he as authorised it and believes it to be correct. It can act as proof down the life if he is fiddling his expenses or the person who inputs it to payroll is. It is important it's signed. I've been these presented in a court as proof of known expense fiddling

God sorry, typos. For some reason mumsnet makes me illiterate

Down the LINE

I've SEEN these

You sign to confirm you've only claimed miles due, imo it's an important part of the process.

Can't think of a non-dodgy reason, tbh. I've worked for a number of charities and our expenses have always required signatures as many funders demand it as part of their audit trail. It's not unusual- it's a lot easier to say 'oh that wasn't me' to something with a typed name as obviously anyone could type it. A signature matched to his contract, etc, you can't deny money was paid to you. It's v weird, and would agree with others I wouldn't be accommodating it- it's signed or it isn't reimbursed.

He has signed his contract of employment/provided proof of ID, right? Because it could be he just has a weird chip on his shoulder/misunderstands what's normal, or it really could be that he is working under an assumed name for whatever reason and doesn't want to be found out.

Get him to scan in his signature and did it that way.

@Reccy2018 a PDF of a scanned signature can be used by someone else, it doesn't have the same effect legally as something he's signed himself.

Yes, exactly Karl. That's the only reason I can think of for not wanting to sign, but he's rather drawing attention to himself if over claiming is his plan.

They won't get paid without his signature.

My gut feeling is that he thinks rules don't apply to him. He's probably far too important to stick to the rules that mere mortals stick to.

I submit expenses with a typed name rather than a signature. However I would happily sign if I was asked to.

Something weird here.

I cannot think of a single good reason why he would refuse to sign. I submit mine electronically, but there is a box to tick that says “I understand that by ticking this box I confirm this is a true statement of expenses”. Or something like that.

Just say you are more than happy for him not to sign it, but it’s company policy and he won’t get paid otherwise. I used to work for somewhere that required a signature and then it posting to Liverpool, it was just something we did! (We are not based in Liverpool but payroll were)

Probably he knwsvbetter than the woman who’s asking him to do it (you).

Well, he has the choice, doesn't he? Either he signs and gets paid or he doesn't.

I don't understand about the petrol receipt, though. What if someone's car was already full of petrol?

I love this. People are just Wierd. If you are an essential step in the process - manager or processor I would just put it to one side and leave him to not get it paid. You've told him the process, end of.

Have you effectively identified him? Sounds almost exactly like a case of Synthetic identity fraud case my husband’s workplace had to deal with. Guy refused to sign anything, and later we found he wasn’t actually the guy they hired.

Who knows but I'd show him the door. He's given you early warning that he's the employee from hell.