How to Create an Employee Registration Form

Whether you’re onboarding new team members or updating existing records, a well-designed employee registration form will help you collect the right information while keeping everything organised. Let’s walk through the steps to create an effective employee sign-up form that meets your needs.

1. Define Your Purpose
2. Choose a Form Creation Tool
3. Choose the Right Fields
4. Ensure Data Privacy and Security
5. Create an Easy-to-Follow Structure
6. Automate the Process
7. Test the Form

1. Define Your Purpose

It’s important to be clear on why you’re creating the employee registration form. This will help you focus on collecting the most relevant information.

Here are a few examples:

• Onboarding New Employees: The form should include details about the employee, such as personal identification, contact information, job title, start date, emergency contacts and bank details for payroll.
• Registering for Benefits: If you’re setting up an employee benefits registration form, you may need to collect details such as employee eligibility, dependent information, preferred healthcare plans and retirement savings preferences.
• Updating Employee Information: Employees may need to update their personal details, job details or emergency contact details. In this case, the form should allow users to easily modify existing records without having to start from scratch.

Knowing the purpose ensures that you focus on collecting only the necessary data, making it easier for employees to complete the form and minimizing errors.

2. Choose a Form Creation Tool

The choice of form-building tool is critical because it affects the user experience, data integration, and automation capabilities.

Here’s a closer look at different tools:

• Activity Messenger: If your company requires a platform that integrates with HR systems, payroll, and automated workflows, this tool is an ideal choice. It offers customization options, built-in templates for employee registration, and automated SMS or email reminders. Activity Messenger allows for complex conditional logic, meaning that fields will appear or disappear based on a user’s previous answers.
• Google Forms: A free and simple option, Google Forms works well for small businesses with fewer employees. It’s easy to use and integrates with Google Sheets for basic data tracking. However, it lacks more advanced features like automated follow-ups or direct integration with other HR systems.
• Jotform: Jotform offers advanced drag-and-drop form creation, different question types (e.g. multiple choice, short answer, file upload) and some automation features. Integrates with tools such as Dropbox or Google Drive to store employee documents.
• Microsoft Forms: Microsoft forms is similar to Jotform with advanced form creation, multiple question types, and automation capabilities.

When choosing a tool, consider factors like:

• Integration with existing systems (HR software, payroll, etc.)
• Customization options for branding and layout
• Security features, especially for handling sensitive data (local data storage regulations)
• Automation capabilities for handling large volumes of forms

 

3. Choose the Right Fields

Choosing the right fields is one of the most important aspects of the form. You’ll want to strike a balance between collecting enough information and keeping the form simple and concise. Here’s a closer look at the most common fields:

• Personal Information: This includes full legal name, date of birth, home address, email address, and phone number.
• Job Information: Here, you want to collect details like job title, department, start date, and employment type (full-time, part-time, contract). You may also want to include a field for the manager or supervisor name, as well as the location (especially for businesses with multiple sites).
• Emergency Contact: This is vital information for employee safety and welfare. Collect the full name, relationship to the employee, and at least two contact numbers (primary and alternative).
• Banking Information: If you are using direct deposit for payroll, include fields for bank name, account number, and routing number. Ensure that these fields are encrypted and secure.
• Tax Information: If your country requires tax forms like a W-4 (for the U.S.) or a T4 (for Canada), you can integrate these directly into the form or provide clear instructions on where to upload these documents securely.

You may also consider including optional fields for certifications, licenses, or any other employee-specific requirements depending on the job. For example, some businesses may need to track professional certifications like CPR or first-aid training.

4. Ensure Data Privacy and Security

Handling sensitive employee data – such as social security numbers, bank details and personal contact information – requires robust privacy and security measures. Here’s how to protect your data:

• Use SSL Encryption: Always make sure your form uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. This protects data as it’s transmitted between the employee’s device and your server.
• Data Storage Compliance: Be aware of local data privacy laws such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation in Europe) or Canada Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PEPIDA). These regulations require that employee data be stored securely and only be accessed by authorised personnel.
• Access Controls: Limit the number of people who can access form data. You can set permissions so that only HR, Payroll or specific managers can access sensitive employee information.
• Consent for Data Collection: Include a consent checkbox where the employee agrees to the collection and use of their data for the stated purposes. Provide a clear link to your company’s privacy policy, which explains how the data will be used, stored and protected.

5. Create an Easy-to-Follow Structure

An effective employee registration form should be easy to navigate. Keep these tips in mind:

• Logical Grouping of Fields: Group related fields into sections (e.g. personal information, job details, emergency contact) to make it easier for employees to move through the form.
• Progress Indicators: If the form is long, consider adding a progress bar to show people how much they’ve completed and how many steps they have left.
• Pre-filled Fields: When an employee updates information, pre-populate the form with the information already on file. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors.
• Error Messages: Include clear error messages when users leave required fields blank or enter information in the wrong format. For example, alert them if the phone number is incomplete or the email format is incorrect.
• Multiple Choice and Drop-downs: Use multiple-choice questions or drop-down menus for fields with a limited number of answers, such as department, job title or employment status.

6. Automate your employee registration form

Automation can significantly reduce the administrative burden of processing employee registration forms.

Here’s how you can automate the process:

• Automated Reminders: Tools such as Activity Messenger allow you to set up automated reminders for employees who haven’t completed their forms. For example, you could send a follow-up email or SMS 3 days after sending the form link if it remains incomplete.
• Integration with HR and Payroll Systems: Once the form is submitted, automated workflows can push the data directly into your HR or payroll system, eliminating the need for manual data entry. This also ensures that employee records are updated in real time.
• Confirmation Messages: Automatically send a confirmation email or SMS to the employee after submitting the form to let them know their registration has been successful.

Automation reduces human error, speeds up form processing, and ensures that no employees fall through the cracks.

7. Test the Form

Before rolling out your form company-wide, thorough testing is essential. Here’s what you need to check:

• Mobile-Friendly: Make sure the form is responsive and easy to use on both desktop and mobile devices. Many employees may access the form on their phone, so it needs to be optimised for smaller screens.
• Field Validation: Check that the form handles input errors correctly, such as incorrect email formats or incomplete phone numbers. Do the error messages give a clear indication of what needs to be fixed?
• Test Automation Workflows: If you’ve set up automation (such as notifications and system integrations), check that it’s working as expected. Is the employee receiving a confirmation email? Is the data being imported correctly into your HR system?

Testing ensures that the user experience is a smooth one and that all of your back-end processes are working as you expect them to.

Final Thoughts

Creating an employee registration form that’s easy to use, secure and efficient is essential to streamlining your HR processes. Whether you choose a simple solution like Google Forms or a more advanced platform like Activity Messenger, the following steps will help you create a form that works for your organisation.

If you’re looking for a more integrated solution that allows for automation and scalability, consider using Activity Messenger to simplify your employee enrolment process and connect it to other critical workflows like payroll and onboarding.

By getting it right the first time, you’ll save time, reduce errors and keep your employee data organised in one place.