Definitive Guide to Choosing the Best Electronic Signature Solution for HR Onboarding

The Onboarding Challenge: When Bureaucracy Holds Back Talent

For a modern Human Resources department, “digital transformation” stops being an abstract idea the moment it meets the reality of a summer hiring drive, a production peak or the opening of a new branch. When you need to hire 10, 50 or 100 employees in a matter of days, relying on paper, scanning or ordinary email creates bottlenecks that cost money, time and often talent.

Choosing an electronic signature solution for HR is not the same as choosing one for the legal or finance department. The priorities are very different. While a lawyer looks for maximum technical assurance (sometimes at the expense of usability) and finance watches every penny, a People and Talent Director needs speed, mobility and user experience.

If the signing process is complex, the candidate goes cold, start dates slip and employer branding suffers before the first day of work. Below we break down the 5 critical factors you should evaluate to choose a tool that actually automates your talent management without sacrificing legal certainty.

1. The Candidate Experience: The “Frictionless” Strategy

The number one mistake when buying signature software for HR is to choose tools designed for banking or government environments, which require the signer to have qualified digital certificates or cryptographic card readers.

Your typical candidate —especially in high-turnover sectors such as retail, logistics, hospitality or construction— will sign the contract from their smartphone, probably on the bus, on a break or at home. You cannot ask them to install a specific app, register on a complex portal or obtain a digital certificate before starting work. That is friction, and friction kills contract conversion rates.

What to Look For: Advanced Signature with OTP

To achieve a signing rate close to 100% in record time, the solution must offer a “No Installation” experience:

• Universal access: The candidate receives a certified email or SMS with a secure link. On clicking, they open the document directly in their mobile, tablet or computer browser.
• Strong security: To ensure identity without hassle, the tool should use Advanced Electronic Signature reinforced with a one-time code (OTP - One Time Password).
• The flow: The candidate reviews the contract, draws their signature (visual consent) and receives an SMS with a PIN code to enter to validate the signature. This clearly links the signer to their phone number and identity, providing a robust layer of security that is admissible in court while keeping the process quick.

For maximum assurance, advanced signature provides evidence of the entire communication and interaction process between the company and the candidate.

2. Operations: Manual Console or API Integration?

Not every company manages contracts the same way. One of the most important strategic decisions when choosing software is to define how documents will be generated and sent. A solid provider should offer two clear paths and let you move from one to the other as you grow:

A. User Console (Ideal for SMEs or One-Off Campaigns)

This is the “turnkey” option. The HR team logs into a secure web platform (SaaS), uploads PDF documents (or uses predefined templates), enters the candidates’ email addresses and sends the requests.

• Advantage: Immediate rollout (in minutes). No IT team required.
• Key feature: Bulk Send. This is vital for seasonal campaigns. It allows the HR officer to upload a CSV/Excel file with 500 candidates’ details and send all personalised contracts in one click, avoiding tedious one-by-one sending.

B. API Integration (Ideal for Large Companies, Staffing Agencies and High Volume)

For companies handling hundreds of contracts a month, the goal is that no one in HR should have to touch the document manually. Signing should be an invisible step inside your existing systems (ATS, ERP or payroll software such as SAP, Workday, Meta4 or Salesforce).

• How automation works:
  1. Your HR system generates the contract automatically with the candidate’s data when their status changes to “Hired”.
  2. Via a REST API call, your system sends the document and signer details to the signature platform in the background.
  3. The candidate receives the request and signs on their mobile.
  4. Through a Webhook, the signature platform notifies your system that the document is signed and returns the stored PDF directly to the employee record.
• Advantage: Full automation, human error reduced to zero (no one uploads the wrong contract) and a 100% corporate, smooth brand experience.

3. The Cost Model: “Signing Envelopes” vs. Individual Documents

An onboarding process rarely involves a single document. The administrative reality of a new hire usually includes a welcome “pack” with at least:

1. The Employment Contract.
2. Tax withholding form (e.g. Model 145).
3. Confidentiality Agreement (NDA).
4. Health and Safety rules.
5. Image rights or device use authorisation.

The cost trap: Many electronic signature providers price by “signed document”. If you hire 100 employees and each signs these 5 documents, you use 500 signature credits. That needlessly blows the budget.

The efficient approach: Look for providers that use “Signing Envelopes” or bundled transactions.

Cost Efficiency Comparison

4. “Delivery Certification”: Your Safety Net in Risk Prevention

In Human Resources, signing the contract is only half the legal battle. The other half, often overlooked but just as critical, is proving that the company fulfilled its duty to inform.

Some documents do not need to be returned signed with contractual consent, but the company must prove they were delivered before work starts. The classic example is the Health and Safety Handbook or the Harassment Policy.

If a workplace accident happens on the second day and the employee tells a judge that “no one gave them the safety rules”, the company faces civil or even criminal liability if it cannot prove reliable delivery. A simple “tick” on a web page or an ordinary email is usually not enough evidence.

The Hybrid Strategy: Signature + Certified Delivery

Choose a versatile platform that combines Electronic Signature (for what requires explicit consent) with Certified Email (for what requires proof of delivery). Even if the employee takes three days to sign “received”, the email delivery certification legally proves that the document was made available to them at a specific date and time, demonstrating the company’s due diligence to the Labour Inspectorate.

5. The Audit Trail: Protection in Court

Finally, legal validity. In employment law, the worker is strongly protected and courts are strict about digital evidence.

Do not settle for a PDF that simply has a signature image pasted on it. Require the signature provider to deliver a complete Audit Trail (Evidence Certificate) when the process ends. This technical document is the “black box” of the transaction and should include:

• Identification: Validation of email address and mobile number (via OTP).
• Traceability: Connection IP addresses and browser used.
• Timestamping: Should be qualified under eIDAS, to ensure the signature occurred before the employment relationship began.
• Integrity (Hash): A cryptographic fingerprint ensuring the contract has not been altered (not a comma, not a salary figure) after signing.

This level of evidence shifts the burden of proof in a dispute: the other party must prove the signature is false, which is technically very difficult with a robust Audit Trail.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it difficult to integrate signature via API into my HR software?
No. Modern (RESTful) APIs are designed to be used easily by any development team. Providers such as eEvidence offer clear documentation (“Developer Hub”) and test environments (sandbox). A basic integration to automate contract sending can be ready in a matter of days, connecting to ERPs such as SAP, Sage or custom platforms.

Is it legal to sign employment contracts with advanced electronic signature (OTP)?
Yes, absolutely. The eIDAS Regulation (EU 910/2014) and employment case law in Spain recognise the full legal validity of advanced electronic signature. Linking the signature to the employee’s personal email and the code sent to their mobile (OTP) guarantees their identity and integrity far more securely than a scanned handwritten signature.

Can I use the same tool to send payslips every month?
Yes, and it is a recommended practice (Best Practice). Using Certified Email for payslip delivery creates automatic legal proof that the employee received their payslip on time each month, avoiding future claims for non-delivery and meeting employment law requirements.

What about PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) handover?
PPE handover (boots, helmet, vest) requires a record of physical receipt. You can digitise this by having the employee sign the “PPE delivery note” on a tablet or their own mobile at the time of handover in the warehouse.

Conclusion

The best electronic signature technology for Human Resources is the one that is invisible to the user and powerful for the company.

If you are an SME, the console with bulk send and the envelope model will save you hundreds of administrative hours.

If you are a Large Company, API integration is the definitive step to automate the employee lifecycle and eliminate errors.

In both cases, the goal is the same: remove paper, ensure legal compliance from day one and offer a modern, agile onboarding experience that keeps the best talent.