In the Justworks Document Center, upload and send custom documents to one or multiple active employees to view, download, and/or electronically sign.
How do I upload and assign a document to employees?
From the dashboard, navigate to “Documents” under “HR” on the left navigation bar. Select “Upload document” and drag and drop or upload your document in the “Upload a document” box. Give your document a name and select the best category for the document. Only PDF documents are supported at this time.
Next, decide whether or not the document requires action by your team.There are two options:
- Signature required
- No action necessary
Assigning Signature Required Documents
If you want employees to electronically sign a document, select “Signature required”.
After choosing “Signature required,” decide if you’d like employees to receive email reminders. Automatic email reminders are sent to assignees once every 7 days, up to three times after assigning the document. Email reminders stop after an employee signs their document in Justworks. Select “One reminder every 7 days, up to 3 times” to enable reminders or “No reminders needed” if none are needed.
Click the “Save & continue” button to continue. On this page, you can preview your document and assign the document to specific employees. You can filter employees by member type, department, or office.
Once you select your assignees, click “Send document”. Employees will receive an email from Justworks alerting them of their new document and will be directed to their Justworks account to sign.
Employees access their documents through their Justworks account and are required to scroll through an entire document before providing their signature. After viewing the entire document, employees are presented with the following:
“I acknowledge receipt of the forgoing document and agree to all applicable terms therein. By clicking to sign, I adopt the signature as my signature and I acknowledge and agree that it has the same force and effect as a hard copy signature signed by me in pen and ink.”
After signing, the employee’s signature is appended to the document and includes their signature, date and time signed, and IP address of where the document was signed. Signed documents are stored in the employee’s profile and can be downloaded at any time.
ARCHIVING SIGNATURE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Once you’ve created a document that requires a signature, you’re able to archive that document by navigating to “Documents” under “HR”. If the document is In Progress, meaning there are still some signatures being collected, you’ll see it right at the top of the page. If all signatures have been collected, you’ll find the document in it’s assigned folder.
Next to the document you’d like to archive, click “Manage”. You can require new members to sign the document, preview the document, and archive the document from this page.
You’ll want to confirm here before the document is fully archived. Note that archiving the document may take a few minutes to complete.
Once the document is archived, it will be stored in the applicable folder in the Archived section of the page. Members without documents permissions will no longer be able to access the document.
What happens to any completed signatures when a document is archived?
In the event of a document being archived, all employees who have signed their document will no longer be able to access the document. And employees who were assigned the document for signature but had not completed will not be able to sign the document.
Any remaining reminder emails that are sent to the employee for the Signature Required Document will cease to be sent out.
RESTORING ARCHIVED SIGNATURE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
If a document that has been archived needs to be restored, you’ll be able to do so by clicking “Manage” next to the archived document. In the Manage page, you’ll see the Restore button instead of the Archive button.
What happens to any completed signatures when an archived document is restored?
Once a document has been restored, any employees who have signed the document will be able to view it in their Justworks account. Any employee who has not signed the document will be able to sign the document.
Any remaining reminder emails that are sent to the employee for the Signature Required Document will be sent out.
UPLOADING NO ACTION REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
If you do not need an employee to provide an electronic signature, select “No action necessary” in the “Signatures” box and click “Save & continue.”
On this page you can preview the document and decide who should see the uploaded document. When sharing with a specific person, you can decide whether you'd like the person to see the document in their Justworks account or if only admins with document permissions should see it.
Click “Send doc,” and the document will be uploaded to your Documents Center with the visibility settings you selected.
How do I track signature progress and completion?
With signature completion tracking, you are able to see what documents are out for signature and their progress, at a glance.
From the dashboard, navigate to “Documents” under “HR” on the left navigation bar. There you will be able to find all assigned documents, the status of each document, and who last assigned the document.
To see a detailed report of who has and has not signed a document, click “Manage” next to a document under the “In Progress” section of the Documents Center. On this page, you can check the signature status for individual assignees, unassign the document, add new members, and view the document that’s out for signature.
How are documents stored?
Documents requiring acknowledgement are securely stored in the employee’s profile once they have been signed. Documents that do not require any action from your employees are automatically filed in the employee’s documents center unless it’s noted that only admins with document permissions should see the document.
Tax documents
W-2 and 1099 forms are automatically available under "Documents" as soon as they're generated in January of each year. Employees and contractors can view and download their own tax documents by navigating to "Documents" under You. Tax documents are only generated during appropriate tax times and not for special requests.
Tax documents are also available to employers. Simply view the profile of the employee or contractor, and any applicable tax documents will be listed in the lower right corner under "Documents".
FAQ
Are electronic signatures in Justworks legally binding?
In general, electronic signatures have the same legal weight as traditional pen-and-paper signatures. However, Justworks’ electronic signature may not be appropriate for every purpose, and you should consult legal counsel for specific questions.
What can I use electronic signatures for in Justworks?
Justworks electronic signature is best suited for employment documents like:
- Company handbooks
- Performance improvement plans
- Pay change notices
- Onboarding documents
There are some types of documents where electronic signatures may not be appropriate, such as court documents and certain real estate or family law documents, or for which Justworks’ e-signature functionality may not be best suited. This list is not extensive, and you should consult legal counsel to determine whether Justworks’ e-signature functionality suits your needs.
Who can sign documents in Justworks?
Active employees and contractors who have completed setting up their Justworks accounts can be assigned documents. New employees cannot be assigned a document for e-signature until their start date in Justworks.
Employees who have not started at the company, separated employees, and vendors are not able to be assigned documents at this time.
Disclaimer
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal or tax advice. If you have any legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, then you should consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.