A Quick HR Documents Checklist

Human resource departments have the deal with a lot of bureaucracy on a day-to-day basis - that's common knowledge in the world of business. There are countless documents they need to manage for each of a company's employees, and that can quickly turn into a big headache. However, in a world where digital reigns, paperwork is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Now, there are new solutions available for all HR teams to help them create a reliable online hire checklist template.

‍In today's article, we focus on our Digital Forms & eSignature feature, and how it can make office life a lot easier. But first, let's go through HR documentation and what most businesses need.

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Employee Documents from Onboarding Process and Everything After

From the moment Human Resources completes interviews and background checks (if needed) and decides to hire a new employee, a cycle of paperwork and documentation begins. From existing HR templates like offer letters and contracts to new hire paperwork to the bank direct deposit form, insurance forms, government forms, and more.

‍And the documents don't stop once a new hire finishes the first few new hire checklist steps. Once the essentials are out of the way, the HR team then moves onto the next step of the new hire onboarding checklist and that's familiarizing new employees with their jobs and the business.

‍Here is where new hires are given a copy of their full job descriptions and office manuals and handbooks to review. All of these documents ensure that employees know what is required of them and that they are prepared to deliver.

‍But again, paperwork doesn't end there. Even after new hire onboarding and throughout an employee's career cycle with a company, there are endless documents and forms to be filled out. Some of these include pay and reward forms, leave and holiday forms, performance reviews, training and development, benefits, and government and tax forms. Each and every move employees make needs documentation throughout the employee journey.

‍And when an employee is departing that starts one final round of documentation again and a new HR checklist. These documents range from resignation letters, final turnovers, severance or separation pay calculation if applicable, and more.

‍Each organization will differ in terms of the forms they have on their hire checklist but all businesses require paperwork. Now that more companies are shifting to online solutions, organizations should attempt to migrate their paperwork requirements online, create a website repository for all of their required forms, and co

‍That's how our Digital Forms & eSignature feature can help. But first, let's go through some of the most important HR documents needed for the hire onboarding checklist and what they represent.

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Forms on the Hire Onboarding Checklist

Here are some of the most common types of employment forms that are included in each new hire checklist that are essential in new hire onboarding and should give all the important information to answer any and all questions that incoming employees may have.

Do note: Some of these documents may be required by labor law, while other forms may be optional.

❏ Job Description

The first step to any hiring process is to develop a document describing the responsibilities of the position for each new hire, and that document is called a job description.

It's crucial that the HR professional who takes on this task is as detailed as possible, including all the information needed from the job title to duties, qualifications (professional and educational), skills, company culture, and more. Giving them a good picture of what the job might entail before they begin working will make your new hire's first day much easier.

❏ Job Offer Letter

After each applicant has passed the application form, interview, drug test (if any), and background check, the official job offer follows in the form of a job offer letter. This is a formal document that describes the terms of employment, including information such as the start date, position title, responsibilities, timeline of employment, government agency requirements, and more.

It informs the potential new employee of everything their position would entail and, although it isn't legally binding, it is an essential component of the hiring process and a must for all new hire checklists.

❏ Employment Contract

After the job offer letter has been accepted, the business will create the employee contract. Similar to the job offer letter, this contract details the new employee's role, employment compensation, and terms of employment. An employment contract should also contain information about employee benefits. The most common compensation and benefits include life and health insurance, stock options, company car, retirement plan, paid holidays, sick leave, vacation policies, and employee wellness perks (e.g. gym memberships).

In most cases, employment contracts also provide additional job information, such as termination conditions, work schedule length, benefits, employee responsibilities, and other legal information they should know.

However, the employee contract differs from the previous document because it is actually a binding agreement and typically mentions a specific time period during which it is valid. It also lists requirements the employers are expected to meet as well.

❏ Employee Handbook

All team members should be familiar with your company's standards, policies, norms, and expectations, which is why the employee handbook is so important. This is usually given during the new hire orientation.

This document, which is typically handed and signed on day one, details everything they need to know about the company as a whole including all company policies. It informs them about what they can expect from the employer/employee relationship. Sometimes employers provide a new employee with the employee handbook ahead of time or during preboarding to give them ample time to read it or direct them to a website with the information before they report for work.

❏ Grievance & Appeal Policy

The grievance and appeal policy describes all the important information about workplace grievances and sample forms for any issues. This also includes steps on how employees can raise any grievances and how they will be handled by the employer.

This document is crucial to ensure a fair and safe work environment for both the new employee, managers, and existing teams.

❏ Code of Conduct Policy

A company code of conduct is a policy that lists all the rules and policies that the employees must follow while working for a specific employer.

This document exists to enforce the company's values and principles, it helps make sure that everyone in the team is on the same page about what's acceptable and what isn't, and it reduces the risk of conflict between co-workers.

❏ Confidentiality Agreement

All businesses have sensitive information that they don't want to be shared with unauthorized third parties, and the confidentiality agreement forbids your employees from doing just that.

Make sure you are comprehensive about what is not acceptable as early as the onboarding process so that your levels of security are as high as possible.

Remember, as well, to mention that the employee cannot retain any proprietary company information even after their contract is ended.

❏ Arbitration Agreement

You never know how the journey of a new employee is going to develop within your company, which is why the arbitration agreement is another essential HR document that should be discussed with each new hire during the onboarding process.

Through this agreement, the person concurs to address any serious conflicts directly with the employer, instead of proceeding with a court case.

❏ Performance Appraisal Documents

In order to ensure that each employer/employee relationship is beneficial for both parties, it's always a good idea to conduct annual performance appraisals. Having checkpoints throughout their career helps companies ensure their new hire is succeeding and thriving and addresses any problems and what could potentially be improved.

Appraisal documents are a way of officializing this process, creating a standardized format that defines SMART goals and the expected performance.

❏ Employee Termination Letter

Not every new hire will be a good fit for a company or will remain a good fit for your team, which is why creating termination letters is so important.

This document officially lets an employee know that they have been fired, and it describes not only what the next steps in the termination process will be, but also the compensation that they will receive.

❏ Non-Compete Agreements (Optional)

A non-compete agreement is a legal agreement or clause that says an employee must not enter into competition with an employer, even if they are no longer working with the company. The same clause also prohibits employees from revealing confidential company information or secrets to other parties during or after their employment.

This type of new hire paperwork often specifies a certain length of time when the employee cannot work with a competitor following the end of their employment.

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No More Paperwork on Your Hire Checklist, with Qualee

The forms, agreements, and handbooks we just listed are only a few of the documents that an HR department have on their new hire checklist and have to deal with on a daily basis. Over time, this paperwork add up. As a business owner or HR leader, there's one question you have to think about: how can you make all of these compliance requirements and paperwork easier to manage?

‍At Qualee, we have developed the solution you need for this challenge: our Digital Forms and eSignatures feature in partnership with PandaDoc. Providing you with unlimited Forms and eSignatures, this tool allows each new hire and existing employee to complete all the necessary forms no matter where they are, simply through their smartphone.

‍Plus, with encrypted fingertip signing, our software guarantees compliance and security.

As an HR professional, it's your responsibility to manage your team members and all new hires, making sure all compliance requirements are met and everyone's on the same page about their role, responsibilities, and rights - which is why being on top of your paperwork is pivotal. Using Qualee will help you manage all your documents, signed agreements and new hire data smoothly, keeping everything organized and readily accessible.

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With the right software solutions by your side, HR processes and paperwork do not have to be a nightmare anymore. Try our Starter Plan today and you'll never go back!

You might be interested in the following resources:
Calculate onboarding ROI using our Onboarding Cost Calculator
‍Learn about our Employee Engagement Platform
Trial our Employee Onboarding App
Our Recommended Exit Interview Questions for an Effective Offboarding Experience