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Page History
Policy Name: | Electronic Signatures |
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Scope: | All Employees |
Revision Date: | November 21, 2017 |
Last Review Date: | June 16, 2023 |
Policy Summary
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Reliant accepts legally binding approval from our employees via electronic means such as email or being logged in to web applications. These kinds of approval are in lieu of a traditional "pen and ink" signature. This makes administration easier for our employees worldwide. Such "signatures" need to meet two conditions:
Common Examples: an email from a verified Reliant.org email account and an employee saying "I approve this change." or an employee logged in to a web application, who submits a form online while logged in and stored as a record in our database. As of the 2015 update of this policy, Reliant can no longer accept e-signatures from a personal email account. |
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On June 30, 2000, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act ("ESIGN"). The result of this Act made it possible for an electronic signature to be used as a valid replacement |
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for a traditional pen and ink signature
In 2011, Reliant first adopted an electronic signature |
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This GCM Policy is also intended to make thing easier for our staff and staff supervisors when submitting GCM documents and forms to the Headquarters office. It focuses on electronic signatures for forms and documents only, and is not intended to address any GCM online website electronic signatures issues.
For GCM forms and documents, the most typical application and use of an electronic signature (but not limited to) would be using an email to serve as an electronic signature.
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policy. It required an email with the sender hand typing a signature block in the body of the email and/or the body of the document that included Full Name, Home phone number (or mobile phone), Ministry Fund Number, E-Mail address, and date. The 2015 updated policy supersedes previous policies and is updated to acknowledge:
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ELECTRONIC RECORDThe term means a record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means. |
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Reliant, examples include: an email from a verified account, a CRM record, a stored Google document or record in a spreadsheet, a submitted web form via Google or Sitefinity, a PDF document ELECTRONIC SIGNATUREA technologically neutral term indicating various methods of signing an electronic message |
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that |
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For Reliant, an item that is identified with a person includes an email from a verified Reliant.org account (as the user has used a name and password) or a record via a Reliant web application that records the name of the user. For approval, language such as "I approve" "Please make this change" and "Yes, we agree" in an email is sufficient. In applications that make approval explicit, clicking a checkbox or submitting via a button could indicate approval. Other general examples of electronic signature technologies include PINs, user identifications and passwords, digital signatures, digitized signatures, and hardware and biometric token ELECTRONIC APPROVAL / E-SIGNEquivalent terms for ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE. EmployeesCollective for all employed or associate staff—all of whom are issued a Reliant.org account. PARTYAny other non-employee external party who is communicating with Reliant staff for the purposes of approval, such as a local church partner, supervisor, vendor, etc. |
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The general principle for electronic approval is:
Consider these example cases and notes. Attachments to Email: Microsoft Office or PDF Documents
Google Documents from Reliant Verified AccountA Google Document, Spreadsheet, or Form submitted from a verified @reliant.org Google Account verifies identity (
A comment or interaction in the form or document can verify both identity and indicate approval. See also Supervisor Approval for Google Forms. Comments, Interactions, or Forms using any Reliant Verified Account
Date and TimeAccepted documents or records should include the date they were submitted (and date approved and date received, if different).
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A Reliant-verified account is any that
In August 2015, Reliant-verified accounts are currently the following. Verified Services for Field Employees
Verified Services for Office StaffBoth accounts above, and
Future ServicesReliant could employ future services such as Adobe's Echosign or a forms system that would qualify for electronic approval as long as it met the standards of a Reliant-verified account above. Technology for ID VerificationUser name and password are the standards for ID verification.
However, we will continue to try to stay with industry standards. We have the option via Google of employing two-factor authentication, and we expect similar methods to improve in the future. Traditional Approvals Still AcceptedReliant still accepts traditional methods of approval. Including:
However,
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Email Sent from Non-Reliant Account
Reliant will accept approval from a non-Reliant account when the party is not an employed or associate Reliant staff member or office staff member.
Keep in mind the two general principles for electronic approval. You should:
- Reasonably be able to confirm the identity of the party.
- Reasonably understand that they are positively approving
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To make things easy for you, Reliant can accept your approval ("signature") electronically. Please reply to this email. Guidelines:
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Important Note: A FAX of a document that is personally signed is already considered a legally valid document and will therefore is not affected by this policy. The same applies to a PDF copy of a document that is personally signed which is sent as an attachment to an email. This is also already considered legally valid.
Policy Statement
GCM will allow an electronic signature to be accepted as a valid replacement of a traditional pen and ink signature for forms and documents used and processed by the GCM office.
For the purpose of further clarity, GCM will accept an email from the signer of the form or document to serve as a valid signature. GCM will also accept a form or document that is electronically attached to an email. The email and/ or the attached form or document must:
• Identify and authenticate the particular person as the source of the message (see below), and
• Clearly indicates the person’s approval of the information, form or document they are intending to electronically “sign”.
Authentication and Identification
For GCM employees and associate staff, authentication and identification must be supported by the sender with including all the following in their email:
• Full Name
• Home phone number (or mobile phone)
• FD number
• E-Mail address
• Current Date
For any Non-GCM employees and associate staff, authentication and identification must be supported by the sender with including all the following in their email:
• Full Name
• Home phone number (or mobile phone)
• E-Mail address
• Current Date
This required information above can also be entered directly by the provider onto the actual form or document. The form or document can then be attached to an email. This method will also serve as a valid electronic signature (as mentioned in the Policy Statement above).
Prior Application of Policy
Form Forms and documents that were accepted by the GCM Reliant office with electronic signatures prior to the adoption of this Policy will still be electronic policy are considered valid. As long as the acceptance was The acceptance must be after June 30, 2000 – this was the enactment date of the ESIGN Act.
Forms on which GCM will allow an electronic signature.
The following Forms can be submitted using an electronic signature (including but not limited to):
I. Finance Forms & Documents
• Reimbursement Form – MTD account (First signature page only)
• Reimbursement From – departmental/supervisor/manager approval (First signature page only)
• Moving Expense Form (First signature page only)
• Check Request - originator
• Check Request – departmental/supervisor/manager approval
• Salary Advance Field/International Staff
• Salary Advance HQ Staff
• Computer & Office Equipment Purchase Approval Form
• Per Diem Request
• Direct Deposit Agreement
II. HR/MTD Forms & Documents
• Support Goal Worksheets
• Performance Appraisals
• Education Approval Form
• Parsonage Request Form
• Bonus requests (internship bonuses, overseas special needs, etc)
• Time cards
• Leave of absence requests
• Coaching hours form
• Paid Time Off Request Form
• Backtrack Release Authorization Form
• Career Assessment Survey
• Employee Evaluation of Supervisor
• FCRA Disclosure Statement
III. Benefits
• 401(k) Principal enrollment Form
• 401(k) Contribution change Form
• 401(k) Rollover declaration Form
• Health Insurance Enrollment Form
• Dental Insurance Enrollment Form
• Genworth Group Life Enrollment Form
• Genworth Voluntary Life Insurance Enrollment Form
• Genworth Beneficiary Designation Form
IV. Ministry Grant Forms
• Grant Request Forms
• Grant Questionnaire
Forms on which GCM will NOT allow an electronic signature (must still be hand-signed).
The following GCM forms must be submitted with an actual signed signature:
- Employment Applications
- Employee Handbook Acknowledgement
- I-9 Form
- W-4 Withholding Form
- Statement of Faith Agreement
- LifeLink Signup Form
- 401(k) Beneficiary Enrollment Form – initial enrollment only
- All GCM Liability, Release, Medical Permission Waiver forms
- All GCM Medical Disclosure forms
Important Note: If desired, the form can also be hand-signed first, and then a valid copy of the signed form can be e-mailed as a PDF attachment or faxed to the GCM Office.
Exceptions to Policy
All documents can be approved or acknowledged via our policy except the items explicitly listed here
Document | Reason for Exception | Required By |
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I-9 Form | I-9 forms must include an identification verification process by an approved Reliant employee. |
See Also
- Supervisor Approval for Google Forms
- Policy: Field Missionaries Official @Reliant.org Email Accounts
- Your @reliant.org Google Account
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