What is an employee information form?
An employee information form represents a vital human resource document for new employees. It allows the company to access vital personal information about employees through the human resource department. Usually, new employees need to provide information about their social insurance number, employment details, position, supervisor, department, start date, and even spousal contact address. Employees also need to provide emergency contact details to ensure the company can access friends or relatives if a serious issue or injury arises.
What to include in an employee information form?
We’ve included a list of 5 key areas you may want to cover when creating your employee information form:
1. Employee information
Under this section, employees provide personal data to the company. This section can include an employees’ full name, social insurance number, phone number, email address, physical address, date of birth, marital status, and spousal contact details. Usually, you need to create an “employee information” section using a header and then ask these questions.
2. Job information
Under this section, employees provide information concerning their employment contracts. This section often includes employees’ position, department, supervisor, employee ID, work email address, work location, work phone number, date of resumption, and salary. These details are relevant to allow you to create a profile for each employee.
3. Emergency contact details
Under this section, employees provide information about those the company can contact in emergencies. Usually, this includes the contact details of a friend or relative, the person’s name, email address, phone number, and physical address.
4. Health information
In some cases, you can request health-related information from new employees. This is to help the company determine if there are any likely allergies or special health needs of an employee. Keep in mind, you need to ensure you comply with relevant provincial regulations before requesting health information.
5. Additional information
You can also request extra information from employees regarding their hobbies and interests to determine their strengths and what they enjoy doing. This can help you in managing employees and creating a positive work environment. Getting additional information can also help the company identify important dates, congratulate employees on these dates, and improve employee morale.
Tips for creating a comprehensive employee information form
Follow these tips to draft a practical and useful employee information form:
Standardize the form
Rather than creating new forms for each employee, you can use standardized forms to make the process seamless. All you need to do is create a single form that covers all the necessary information you require. You can then make copies of the forms and have new employees fill in the forms when they begin at the company.
Be clear
You need to ensure that the forms are clear and easy to understand. This guarantees that the employees can provide the right information that you need to create employee profiles. Use simple language and avoid idioms to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Order the forms logically
Usually, most forms come in a specific order, and this is what people often encounter. You need to ensure you also order the forms logically. You can start by requesting the employee information, then job information, before ending with the additional information section. This ensures that employees find it easier to fill in the forms either in-person or online.
Set a deadline
Setting a deadline for employees to complete the form or including it in the onboarding process can help ensure you receive the information in a timely manner.
Store the forms appropriately
Employee information forms usually contain private data, so you need to store them safely. For physical forms, ensure you have a secure storage room where you can place them. In cases of online forms, use secure cloud-based software to ensure safety. You can collaborate with the in-house data privacy or information technology expert to achieve this. You also need to ensure you’re familiar with relevant data privacy laws that affect employee information forms.
Review the forms
Once the form is submitted it’s best to review and file it properly. This allows you to catch any errors and request a timely correction from the employee. You can also conduct an annual review to allow employees to update any information that may have changed.
Ensure accessibility
You need to guarantee necessary parties can access the forms. This includes the HR team, management and payroll. You can adopt online forms to improve accessibility. Still, if you decide on in-person forms, ensure you arrange them in an organized manner to ensure and improve accessibility where necessary.
Be transparent
You need to inform employees about the reasons why it’s important that they disclose their information. This transparency ensures that they provide accurate information. In addition, inform them of their right to privacy and your commitment to protecting their details from non-authorized parties.
Employee information form template
Here is a template of a standard employee information form you can use:
[Your company name]
[Address]
[Contact information]
Employee information
Name:
Address:
Phone number:
Email address:
Social insurance number:
Date of birth:
Interests (optional):
Institution(s) of learning:
Marital status:
Spouse’s name:
Spouse’s number:
Spouse’s employer:
Job information
Title:
Employee ID:
Department:
Supervisor:
Work location:
Email address:
Work number:
Start date:
Salary:
Emergency contact information
Name:
Address:
Work number:
Phone number:
Relationship:
Health condition (optional):
Example employee information form
Here is an example of a completed employee information form:
Hightech Global Software Ltd
Regina, Saskatchewan
info@hightechglobalsoftware.com
Employee information
Name: Alice Smith
Address: Regina, Saskatchewan
Phone number: 233-456-4665
Email address: alice.smith@email.com
Social insurance number: 555-456-789
Date of birth: Dec. 12, 1979
Interests (optional): Dancing
Institution(s) of learning: Kosovo College, Regina, SK
Marital status: Married
Spouse’s name: Tom Smith
Spouse’s number: 555-555-0188
Spouse’s employer: Hexfield Engineering Corporation
Job information
Title: UX designer
Employee ID: DIN302
Department: Product design
Supervisor: Sarah Johnson
Work location: Saskatchewan branch
Email address: a.smth@hightechglobalsoftware.com
Work number: 555-444-1340
Start date: Oct. 2, 2018
Salary: $57,500 per year
Emergency contact information
Name: Tom Smith
Address: Regina, Saskatchewan
Work number: 555-666-9412
Phone number: 555-555-0188
Relationship: Husband
Health condition (optional): Peanut allergy
