OmniDocGuide to using labor contract online signing software
Is it suitable to sign a labor contract online? This article explains common situations such as joining a job in a different place and scanning old contracts. It also provides a complete process from checking terms, filling in, initiating signing to keeping files, and reminds you to consult legal counsel before signing.
Key points of this article
- Before signing a labor contract online, check the necessary terms such as the subject, position, salary, probation period, etc. Do not directly use the old template.
- The scanned version of the old contract must be OCR recognized first, and then the amount, date and certificate number should be checked against the original paragraph by paragraph.
- Complete all filling in before signing, and do not change the signed document after signing; re-initiate a new version if modifications are needed.
- Signed PDFs should be filed by employee along with origination and signing dates for easy retrieval later.
- The validity of online signing depends on the content of the contract and relevant legal provisions. It is recommended to ask legal counsel or someone familiar with labor laws to review before signing.
When new employees are recruited, or employees need to sign labor contracts after joining the company, HR often encounters a practical problem: when people are out of town, it is too slow to send paper contracts back and forth. So many people began to search for online labor contract signing software, hoping to move the signing process online.
The role of such tools is not difficult to understand, but labor contracts are not exactly the same as general purchase and sale contracts and confidentiality agreements. It has fixed necessary terms, and the signing process also involves employees’ knowledge and retention of the contract. There are several things to look at when choosing tools and doing the process.
This article is written for HR responsible for onboarding or contract management, heads of small and micro businesses, and individuals who need to sign their own labor contracts. After reading this, you will be able to judge which aspects are suitable for online completion, and follow the steps to prepare a labor contract from document preparation to signing.
Do you want to sign the labor contract online? One sentence conclusion
As long as the contract document itself is accurate and both parties agree to sign online, completing the signing online is usually faster than sending a paper contract; however, you must check the content of the contract and the retention of documents yourself, and not just whether the tool can be signed.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| The employee has arrived and is in the same city | The paper contract will be signed in person, and only the documents will be kept online. | Face-to-face confirmation of information is straightforward and reduces disputes |
| Employees joining the company from another place need to sign as soon as possible | Initiate an online signing request and employees sign online | Save time on shipping and the signing process can be tracked |
| The contract is a scanned copy or a modified version of an old template. | First identify the text, check the terms, and then initiate signing | Sign the scanned document directly, and it is easy to miss changes. |
| The contract involves probation period, salary, and special position terms | Please ask legal counsel or someone familiar with labor laws to review before signing. | The cost of getting the terms wrong is far greater than the mailing time saved. |
Scenario: HR wants to issue a labor contract to new employees in different places
Suppose you are the HR of a small company. A new employee will join the company next week, but the employee is currently out of town. You plan to sign the labor contract first. I have a 12-page Word contract template in hand, and the position, salary, probation period and other information need to be filled in one by one. You want employees to be able to sign at home and the company to keep a complete signed version.
Difficulties usually focus on three areas: it is easy to omit or correct errors when filling in; the content or format changes after converting to PDF; after the employee signs, you need to confirm that you get the complete signed version.
Complete process
- Check the contract text: Check the employer and employee information, work content, work location, working hours, salary, probation period, social insurance and other terms item by item. Do not directly use the old contract.
- Prepare PDF files: If the original is in Word, you can use desktop office software to save it as PDF; if it is a scan, first perform OCR in the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client so that the text can be selected and modified.
- Complete personal information: Use the form-filling function of the PDF editor to complete the blank fields such as name, ID number, date of employment, etc., or directly modify the paragraph text, and browse page by page after modification.
- Check page integrity: Confirm that the content of each page is complete, the page numbers are continuous, and there is enough space for the signature. If necessary, use the page operation function to adjust the page order or delete redundant pages.
- Initiate online signing: Use the signature request function on omnidoc.top, upload the finalized PDF, and send it to employees for signature. Confirm that the document is the final version before launching.
- Retrieve the signed version: After the employee signs, download the signed document and check whether the signature position, date and content of each page are complete.
- Archive and retain: File the signed PDF according to the employee number, while retaining the date record of initiation and signing. When the Word version is required, it can be exported from the PDF editor, but the signed PDF version shall prevail.
Where things can easily go wrong
Scanned document recognition error. First try to select a piece of text with the mouse: if you cannot select it, it means it is a picture and you need to do OCR first. After identification, it needs to be checked section by section against the original, especially the amount, date and certificate number. The OCR results need to be checked manually.
The content has been changed after signing. Complete everything before signing. Do not modify the signed documents after signing. If errors are found, a new version should be reissued and employees should be told to reconfirm, rather than replacing files privately.
Staff operation is not smooth. Before initiating, confirm whether the employee can successfully complete the signing operation, and explain the steps in advance if necessary. If employees are unable to complete it online, paper contracts should be prepared as an alternative and the reasons for switching to paper signatures should be documented.
The legal effect is uncertain. The tool is only responsible for the signing process and does not replace legal judgment. Whether an online signature is valid depends on the content of the contract, the true intentions of both parties, and whether it complies with relevant legal regulations. For terms such as probation period, salary, special positions, etc., it is recommended to ask the legal or local social affairs department to review.
Employees only received partial documentation. Once signed, ensure employees can view and save the full version. If the content of the respective versions of both parties is inconsistent, the complete signed version you archived shall prevail and communicate in a timely manner.
🎯 Which method is suitable for you?
If you are a small HR company with a small number of employees
Treat online signing as a routine process: the template is fixed, only personal information is changed each time, it is checked before signing, and filed by employee after signing.
If the employee is out of town or it is inconvenient to meet
Give priority to initiating online signing, and confirm employees’ operating environment and communication channels in advance to avoid delays in signing.
If the contract has special terms
First ask for legal review, then use a PDF editor to complete the document, and finally initiate signature. Don’t rush to send before the terms are confirmed.
If you are just an individual and need to sign a labor contract
First check your position, salary and probation period one by one, read the contents of each page clearly, then decide whether to sign online or on paper, and save the complete signed document.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is a labor contract signed online necessarily valid?
It cannot be generalized. The validity depends on the content of the contract, the true intentions of the signing parties, and whether it complies with relevant legal provisions. It is recommended to consult with the legal department or the local social department before signing.
2. What are the necessary terms of a labor contract?
It usually includes basic information about the employer and workers, work content and work location, working hours, rest and vacations, labor remuneration, social insurance, as well as labor protection, working conditions and occupational hazard protection. The specifics shall be subject to legal provisions.
3. Can I sign the scanned version of the old contract directly?
You can do OCR recognition first before modifying and signing, but the recognition results must be checked paragraph by paragraph, and make sure all numbers and dates are consistent with the original before signing.
4. How to save the original document after signing?
Save the signed PDF, along with a record of the date initiated and signed, filed by employee. The labor relationship should be properly kept during the duration of the labor relationship. The specific retention period can be referred to the company's archives system.
5. What to look for when choosing a free online signing tool?
Focus on the file size limit, whether to add a watermark, the privacy policy, whether the typesetting is retained after signing, and whether the complete signed version can be downloaded.
📝 Summary
The key to signing a labor contract online is to first check the contract content accurately, then complete the signing through a signature request, and finally keep the signed complete version properly on file. Tools can make the process faster, but you still need to check the terms and legal judgment yourself.
