Get started with HR+ (Early Access)

 

HR+ is a new way to handle all the admin that comes with hiring someone — doing away with email chains, manual signatures, and document ping-pong. You can collect essential info, generate contracts, and keep everything on track, all from the HR tab in Shiftbase.

 

Contents:

What you can do with HR+

Getting started with your first new-hire

How to use HR+

What’s next for HR+

Questions or feedback?

 

 

What you can do with HR+?

Here’s how HR+ makes new-hire setup faster, easier, and a lot less stressful:

• Create contracts
  Upload your own templates, fill in contract details automatically, and send out polished contracts in minutes.
• Collect documents
  No more chasing down ID scans, personal information, or bank details. New hires fill everything in through a secure form.
• Extend contracts
  Create contract extensions for current employees in seconds and get them digitally signed. 
• See what’s done — and what’s not
  Keep track of every new hire with a clear dashboard that shows what stage they’re in — from form submission to final signature.
• Get people scheduled faster
  As soon as the paperwork’s in place, you can add the new hire to your schedule. No delays.

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How to use HR+

1. Upload your contract
2. Add a new hire or rehire former employee
   1. What a hire sees
3. Track their progress
4. Generate the contract
5. Digitally sign contracts
6. Convert them to an employee

 

1. Upload your contract

To get started, go to Employees > Templates and select Create new template.

Before adding your template you will select the type of template you want to create. Either a full employment contract or an extension letter.

Once you have selected a category you will now customize your template. This page includes a full list of supported fields you can use as placeholders in your contract — things like {first_name}, {address}, and {start_date}.

How to prepare your template:

1. Get your contract file ready in .docx format.
2. Replace any static values (e.g. names, dates) with dynamic fields from the list or create a new custom field.
3. Add new fields if you require additional fields in the contract. Click on Create new field to make your own.
4. Insert the E-Sign fields for the digital signature.
5. Upload your updated file right there on the page.

Once uploaded, Shiftbase will scan your document and highlight:

• ✅ Identified fields that will be filled automatically for each new hire
• ⚠️ Unidentified fields that you may need to fix or manually complete later

If there are unidentified fields, you can edit your template and re-upload it or add custom fields to fit any type of data you may need to use in your template.

 

 

2. Add a new hire, or rehire, and automatically collect their information

Go to Employees > Hiring and select Add new hire or Rehire former employee.

For new hires, fill in all the information such as name, email, job title and start date. For re-hires, you will select from a list of deactivated employees and then double check their information and edit, if necessary.

Once you click Send invite, your hire will receive a secure email asking them to submit their personal details. You’ll be notified once they’ve completed the form.

 

2a. What the hire sees

Both new hires and rehires will receive a welcome email with a link to a secure online form. This is where they’ll submit everything needed to prepare their contract.

📝 The form includes:

• Personal details: full name, date of birth, birthplace, nationality
• Address: street, city, postal code, country
• Contact details: phone number and email
• Employment details: citizen service number, IBAN, Tax credit preference (with a link to download the Belastingdienst form to send back to you)
• Document: passport and/or national ID

They’ll also be informed that:

• Their progress won’t be saved (the form must be completed in one go)
• Their information is used solely for contract generation and stored securely
  
  

Once submitted, you’ll receive a confirmation and the hire’s status will update in your dashboard.

 

3. Extend an employees contract

With HR+ you can now create contract extensions for all your employees within Shiftbase.

Based on your notification settings, you will receive a reminder email when it’s time to extend a contract and you will see a notification on the employees profile. 

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From here, you can choose to extend the contract in two ways:

1. With an extension letter that is digitally signed by the employee
2. Without an extension letter

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With an extension letter

If you choose to send an extension letter, you will select your template for extensions and double check or edit the information to be included in the letter. 

Once ready, you will send the contract for digital signature and be able to see the status of the signature process directly from this page.

The new Shiftbase contract will be created automatically with the details you provided and the signed contract will be stored on the employee profile.

Without an extension letter

If you choose not to use an extension letter, you will finalize the Shiftbase contract as you do now. The employee will not be notified of the new contract.

4. Track their progress

As your hire submits their info, you’ll see it live in your dashboard. You’ll know:

• Whose response you’re still waiting for
• Who is ready for their contract
• Whose signature is still pending
• Who is signed and hired

 

5. Generate the contract

Once your hire has submitted their details, go to the contract setup tab in their profile.

From there, you can:

• Select a contract template
• Add any final details based on the template you selected. These can include things like:
  
  • Gross salary
  • Start and end dates
  • Contract duration
  • Weekly hours
  • Team or location
    
    

After reviewing all the fields, click Setup contract to create a complete, filled-in version.

 

6. Digitally sign contracts

Want to skip the printer? HR+ now includes E-sign– a fully digital way to sign contracts directly in Shiftbase, powered by YouSign.

E-sign lets you:

• Send contracts for digital signature from within Shiftbase
• Have both parties sign in order — first the employer, then the employee
• Store the signed PDF automatically in the employee profile

Legally compliant and secure

HR+ uses Simple Electronic Signatures (SES) provided by YouSign — a secure and legally binding way to sign employment contracts that complies with EU regulations. An SES is:

• Is legally valid under the eIDAS regulation
• Includes an audit trail with key signing details (such as timestamps and signer information)
• Protects the document against changes after signing
• To use e-signatures, your contract template must include the following required fields:

• • {signature_employee}

  • {signature_employer}

  • {signing_date_employee}

  • {signing_date_employer}

How it works:

1. After filling in the contract, click Send for signature
2. Select who will sign on behalf of your company
3. The employer receives the contract first
4. After they sign, the employee is notified to complete the second signature
5. Once both are done:
   • A signed PDF is emailed to both parties
   • The document is stored in the new hire & employee profile
   • The person is automatically created as an employee in Shiftbase

Curious where the contract is in the eSign process? You can always see the audit trail directly from the contract page so you know the status of each signature. YouSign automatically sends reminders to each signer.  

Need to cancel the signature process?

You can stop the signing process at Step 3 of the contract setup (where the contract is downloaded or sent).
Click Cancel process to open a confirmation window. From there, you can:

• Cancel the process entirely and delete the new hire
• Or cancel the eSign flow, edit the contract, and re-send for signature

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What’s next for HR+

We’re just getting started. Here’s what’s coming soon:

• Contract extensions
• Integration with payroll systems
• Signing additional documents, like the payroll tax form
• Employee & team communication tools
• Onboarding materials & task lists

 

Questions or feedback?

We’re happy to help you set things up or walk you through anything. Just reach out to our support team via chat or email us at support@shiftbase.com.

Have feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Our product team is actively working on HR+ and would love to have a chat with you. Find a time here.

Want to give HR+ a try?

If this sounds like something your team could use, we’d love to hear from you. Join the waitlist by clicking the button below. We’re currently accepting a limited number of users — so this will add you to the list, and we’ll reach out if you’re selected to join.