HR & Employment Documents

Everything you need to hire, pay and part company properly

Most small businesses discover their HR paperwork is incomplete at exactly the wrong moment — during a dispute, an audit, or when a departing employee asks for a document nobody ever created.

The paperwork itself is not complicated. It just needs to exist, be consistent, and follow the employment lifecycle rather than being assembled reactively.

This page covers the documents you need at each stage.

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Stage 1 — Hiring

Employment Offer Letter Confirms the role, salary and start date. Issued once the candidate accepts verbally. It is not a full contract, and treating it as one is a common mistake.

Employment Contract The complete terms — duties, notice, probation, confidentiality, IP assignment, termination. In many jurisdictions certain terms must be given in writing within a set period of the employee starting, so this is not optional paperwork. Full guidance in How to Create Employment Contracts.

NDA for Employees Where confidentiality obligations need to stand separately from the contract, typically for staff handling customer data, pricing or internal processes.

Independent Contractor Agreement For hires who are genuinely not employees. Get the classification right before drafting — misclassification leads to back taxes, statutory benefits and penalties, and it is usually discovered at audit rather than at the start.

Stage 2 — Paying

Salary Slip A written pay statement is a legal requirement in most jurisdictions, and employees need payslips constantly for loans, rentals, visas and background checks. Issue them from the first pay run.

The full set of payroll resources sits in the salary slip cluster: format by country, templates, PDF handling, and a guide for employees on reading their own.

The single most useful discipline is itemisation. A slip showing one merged deduction figure answers nothing and generates queries; a slip listing each component separately prevents them.

Stage 3 — During employment

Non-Compete Agreement Where enforceable in your jurisdiction. Narrow, specific restrictions limited by time, geography and activity hold up far better than broad ones — and an unenforceable clause protects nothing at all. Some jurisdictions restrict or prohibit these outright.

Warning and disciplinary letters Not yet a dedicated form. Describe the situation in the AI generator and select Employment & HR — a structured letter with the appropriate process language is drafted for your jurisdiction.

Promotion, transfer and salary revision letters Same route. Any change to material terms should be recorded in writing rather than agreed in conversation.

Stage 4 — Departure

Resignation Letter For the employee side of a voluntary exit.

Termination Letter Employer-initiated exit. Generate via the AI generator — select Employment & HR and your jurisdiction, then describe the grounds and notice being given. Termination requirements are heavily jurisdiction-dependent and following a fair process matters as much as having the right to terminate, so this is one to have reviewed if the situation is contested.

Experience Letter / Service Certificate Confirms dates of employment, role and conduct. Frequently requested by departing staff for their next employer and, in some markets, expected as a matter of course. Also available through the AI generator.

Full and final settlement statement Covering outstanding salary, unused leave and any deductions.

The sequence that avoids problems

Offer letter → employment contract signed before the start date → payslips from the first pay run → written record of any change to terms → documented process for exit.

The gap that causes the most trouble is the second one. A contract signed three months after someone started is a contract negotiated after they have leverage and after the terms have already been operating informally.

Common mistakes

Using a contract from another country. Employment law is local and statutory entitlements apply regardless of what the contract says. Generate using the employee’s country and state, not your head office’s.

Issuing an offer letter and nothing else. The offer letter confirms three facts. It does not cover notice, IP, confidentiality or termination.

Merged payslip deductions. Itemise every component.

No written record of changes. A promotion, a salary revision or a change of location should all be documented.

Skipping IP assignment. Cheap to include at hiring, expensive to resolve during due diligence.

FAQs

1Q: What HR documents does a small business legally need? 

A: Requirements vary by jurisdiction, but the common core is a written statement of employment terms within a set period of the employee starting, and a written pay statement each pay period. Confirm the specific rules where your employee works.

2Q: Is an offer letter the same as an employment contract? 

A: No. An offer letter confirms role, salary and start date. An employment contract sets out the full terms including notice, confidentiality, intellectual property and termination. Most employers issue both.

3Q: Do I have to give employees a payslip? 

A: In most jurisdictions, yes — employers are generally required to provide a written statement of pay on or before payday, in print or digital form.

4Q: What is the difference between a resignation letter and a termination letter? 

A: A resignation letter is written by the employee to end their own employment. A termination letter is issued by the employer. They are different documents with different legal implications.

5Q: Can I use the same employment contract for staff in different countries? 

A: Not safely. Statutory entitlements apply regardless of contract wording, so generate a separate contract for each employee’s jurisdiction.

6Q: How long should HR records be kept? 

A: Retention periods vary by jurisdiction and are commonly several years for payroll and employment records. Check the requirement that applies to you.

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IndigoEDocs produces AI-assisted drafts. Employment law carries statutory obligations that vary by jurisdiction — have contracts and termination documents confirmed by a qualified employment lawyer before issuing them.