When it comes to running the daily operations of a large organization, there is bound to be an immense load of paperwork involved. Some processes such as onboarding and recruitment require new hires to fill in and submit certain forms that are mandatory. These forms are of the utmost importance as it signifies the start of a new employee’s career.
These days, technology is fused with everything, even the process of onboarding now has assistance in the form of software automation. Acquiring onboarding employee documents can now be done with the aid of software, this will securely record and store the employee documents on behalf of the employer.
Apart from the job application form and the letter of recommendation from the new hire’s previous employer, the main employee onboarding documents that are listed below are mandated by law, if the employer fails to store these documents properly, they could face legal action.
What are the Important Employee Onboarding Documents?
All employers are legally required to record specific employee data. This will consist of personal information of the new employees such as resumes, job application form, verification letter requests and compliance forms. Some of which are listed below.
Form W-4
Form W-4 is also referred to as the Withholding Federal Income Tax form. All employers must ensure that all new hires as well as existing employees fill in and submit the latest version of form W-4 every year. It is used by the employer to calculate exactly how much of money can be withheld from the employee’s paycheck.
Form W-4 can be used by employees to claim allowances. The more the number of allowances an employee claims, the lesser the money your employer can withhold from your earnings. Furthermore, employees who claim for multiple allowances can offset their tax deductions.
Form I-9
Form I-9 is also known as the Employment Eligibility Verification form. If a new hire is willing to work in the United States, the first step is to prove that they are eligible to work in the country. The submission of form I-9 to your employer is necessary. They will attach it to your employee profile for compliance issues. When a new employee submits this form, they are also required to hand in a form of photo identification such as a state ID, passport or driver’s license.
Job Application Forms
When you start a new job, there is the process of new employment paperwork to complete. These are additional documents that will be submitted with your job application form. The other onboarding documents are pertaining to your qualification, prior work experience, job designation, credentials and certifications, educational background, relationship with previous employer, etc. There are 2 main sub documents that also come under job applications, these are listed below.
Employment Contract Forms
When new hires attend their first day of work, they will be given employment contract forms. This form will contain details of the job requirements, job designation, the mission and vision statement of the organization, the payment structure, etc. Some other details included in the employment contract are as follows.
- Employee benefits and compensation.
- The job description and job designation.
- The company profile and the ‘about us’ section.
- The conditions for possible termination.
- The schedule of daily tasks and the weekly timetable.
- The duration of employment (in case the work is contract-based).
- All responsibilities of the employee.
Internal Company Forms
Another part of the employee onboarding process are the internal company forms that are required by law, all employers will have to give each new hire this form on their first day of work without fail. Generally, internal company forms will include rules and regulations on the following.
- Company non-disclosure agreements.
- The employee handbook (guide).
- Employee related security and confidentiality agreements.
- Criminal records of new employees, if any as well as time served.
- All non-compete work clauses.
- Alcohol intoxication at the workplace and drug-related policies.
What is a Payroll Software and Why is it Important?
Payroll software can be immensely beneficial for an organization as it lets employers keep track of all the new hires and employees for the purpose of accurately recording employee deductions such as compensation, insurance and other taxes. According to the workload of each employee, the payroll software checks the number of days the employee was present and calculates their monthly earnings.
Take into account the size of the organization, the number of employees and the processing power to efficiently run payroll software. If you have a relatively small business (under 20 employees in total), it may be best to choose a free payroll software. This will not pack all the additional features but will suffice for your organization.
If you have over 50 employees, compare a list of the top premium payroll software before you select one that is right for you or try searching based on the additional features as many payroll software come bundled with useful features that could aid your business.
What are the Main Benefits of Investing in a Payroll Software?
- When an employer has to make multiple verification touchpoints and multiple data entries quite frequently.
- When the employer wants to check for the availability of an employee to assign him to a specific task. The employer can also check leave balance, status, pending projects, etc.
A free payroll software can take into account an employee’s working schedule, the number of days of leave or extra working hours, thereby making sure that the employee is compensated for their overtime.
