Employee forms: use cases and templates

Employee forms help HR professionals streamline essential processes, enhance employee experience (EX), and manage employee information efficiently. From onboarding to feedback collection to recruitment, you can use employee forms to foster better communication among your workforce and drive positive organizational change. 

We’ll explore why employee forms are helpful, when to use them, and how to create effective forms tailored to your company’s needs.

You can use employee forms in many HR scenarios, including:

When a new employee joins an organization, onboarding plays a crucial role in establishing a successful working relationship with their team and the company. From completing paperwork to sharing company policies and procedures, onboarding sets the stage for a positive experience and lays the foundation for future growth within the organization.

Employee forms collect the necessary information to properly onboard your employees and maintain accurate records, like personal details, tax-related information, emergency contacts, direct deposit details, benefits enrollment, and other documentation specific to the organization's policies. 

Related reading: How to build an effective onboarding survey for new hires

Employee forms can help HR teams collect valuable employee feedback, sentiments, satisfaction levels, and areas of improvement. Use the feedback to identify patterns, highlight potential issues, and close gaps in the employee experience. 

By encouraging employees to participate in feedback processes, companies showcase their commitment to listening to their workforce and valuing their input. This, in turn, promotes a culture of transparency and collaboration, where employees feel empowered to voice their thoughts and ideas.

Related reading: Build a better workplace. Get candid employee feedback fast

As employees progress through the employee lifecycle, they encounter various official documents, from tax forms to confidentiality agreements. Employee forms offer a digital solution to document management, reducing administrative burden and enhancing security. You can integrate employee forms with existing HR systems and databases for seamless data transfer and fewer data entry errors. 

Employee forms such as application forms, pre-employment questionnaires, and consent forms for background checks gather crucial information for hiring decisions and legal compliance. Providing clear information through these forms helps establish trust and a positive impression of the organization.

Related reading: Candidate experience & the recruitment process

Employee forms streamline HR processes by standardizing and automating data collection. They reduce manual effort and ensure seamless onboarding, performance management, and feedback. 

Use these forms to capture critical employee information, improving accuracy and compliance. Automation saves time, minimizes errors, and allows HR professionals to focus on strategic tasks, enhancing overall productivity. 

Employee forms are a vital part of an organization's HR system. They store essential employee data such as personal details, employment history, tax withholding, benefits enrollment, and emergency contacts. Employee forms also help ensure compliance with legal requirements and protect sensitive employee information.

Establishing transparent and efficient processes and utilizing employee forms can significantly improve job satisfaction and overall morale in the workplace. Clear visibility into work procedures promotes fairness and engagement among employees, ultimately reducing confusion and errors and fostering a more collaborative work environment. 

Promoting transparency and efficiency through employee forms benefits individuals and contributes to the organization's success by building trust and improving performance.

You have plenty of options for creating your own online employee forms, each tailored to meet specific needs:

If you’re ready to get started on a form, you can sign up for a free SurveyMonkey account or log in if you already have one.

SurveyMonkey has dozens of online form templates you can use to start collecting applications today.

To create an AI form, start by determining the goal for your application form. Then: 

When creating employee forms, it's important to prioritize best practices that enhance user experience for both employees and applicants. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

Clear and objective language in employee forms helps you secure accurate responses. Avoid using biased language or jargon to reduce confusion and support transparency and inclusivity. Using unbiased and easily understandable language in forms helps convey important information and collect accurate responses, contributing to HR process efficiency.

Embed employee forms on relevant web pages or digital platforms within the organization's intranet to make them easily accessible. By doing so, employees and applicants can conveniently access the forms without navigating through multiple portals.

Ensure your employee forms capture all necessary information without being overly burdensome or invasive. Striking the right balance between collecting essential details and minimizing the time and effort required to complete the form is the key to receiving more responses.

Providing the option to save and resume filling out forms later can significantly improve the user experience for employees and candidates. This feature is particularly beneficial for individuals who may need to gather additional information or seek clarification before completing the form.

Employee forms should allow for seamless uploading of supporting documents such as resumes, certifications, or identification proofs. This streamlines the process for applicants and ensures that all relevant materials are conveniently submitted alongside the form.

Implement confirmation messages or emails to acknowledge successful form submissions. This practice assures employees and applicants that their form has been successfully received and processed, offering peace of mind.

By incorporating these best practices into creating employee forms, organizations can enhance efficiency, improve user experience, and demonstrate their commitment to facilitating a smooth and transparent application process for employees and candidates.

Use a job application form template to collect necessary information from job applicants, such as personal details, work history, and qualifications. Embed your application form directly on your website to make it easy for applicants to apply.

Encourage applicants to:

Employee information forms capture detailed information about a new employee like personal details, emergency contacts, and tax-related information. You’ll typically send this form during the onboarding process. 

Prompt employees to: 

A smooth onboarding process is critical to integrating new hires into your company culture, setting them up for success, and creating a positive employee experience. Send this comprehensive onboarding checklist outlining the step-by-step onboarding process to managers to ensure you and your team cover all essential tasks or documentation. 

Ask supervisors to:

Use this engagement form template to measure satisfaction levels and gather feedback on improving and keeping employees happy. Engaging with your employees through an employee engagement survey can provide valuable insights and create strategies to boost morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction within the organization.

Ask your employees: 

Employee complaint forms provide a structured approach to addressing workplace concerns. They allow employees to express grievances safely, allowing HR professionals to investigate and address issues effectively. 

This process helps create a fair and transparent working environment. Additionally, these forms can help highlight recurring issues and implement proactive measures to improve employee satisfaction and work culture.

Prompt employees to share:

Gathering feedback from your team, customers, or other stakeholders supports continuous improvement. While the traditional suggestion box effectively captures feedback, managing it can be challenging.

An online suggestion box form is a great way to collect new ideas and insights from your employees. Encourage your respondents to share their feedback anonymously: optional fields like name and email address allow them to suggest ideas openly and honestly.

Ask your employees for:

By leveraging employee forms, organizations can attract, onboard, and retain top-tier talent, improving productivity, satisfaction, and overall success.

Learn how SurveyMonkey makes building and sharing employee forms easy.