Parties
Identify the legal employer entity and the employee or assistant by full legal name and business or home address, clarifying contractor versus employee status.
A written agreement reduces ambiguity about duties, pay, confidentiality, and liability, helping prevent disputes and ensuring consistent HR and payroll processing.
Typical preparers and signers include HR professionals, hiring managers, and legal counsel before the employee or assistant signs.
Keep a signed copy in HR personnel files and provide the employee with an executed copy for their records.
Identify the legal employer entity and the employee or assistant by full legal name and business or home address, clarifying contractor versus employee status.
Describe specific responsibilities, deliverables, work schedule, reporting relationships, and any performance metrics used to evaluate the assistant.
State salary, hourly rate, reimbursement policy, pay schedule, overtime eligibility, and any bonus or expense reimbursement terms.
Specify start date, fixed term or at-will language, notice periods, severance (if any), and cause definitions for termination.
Include nondisclosure obligations, ownership or assignment of work product and inventions, and limits on use of employer systems and data.
Signature blocks for parties, dates, and any witness or notarization lines if required; note permissibility of electronic signatures per ESIGN/UETA.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Email link or SMS code; use stronger auth for sensitive roles |
| Signing Order | Set employer or HR to sign after employee, or use simultaneous signing |
| Reminders | Enable automated reminders and set retry intervals for incomplete signers |
| Audit Trail | Capture timestamps, IP address, and consent evidence for each signer |
Ensure your eSignature platform supports required authentication, audit logs, and integration with HR systems.
Choose settings that preserve legally relevant metadata and make retrieval straightforward for audits and payroll reconciliation.
Agreement should be signed on or before the employee's start date
Complete Section 2 within three business days of hire
Provide W-9 or W-4 to payroll upon request for tax setup
Enter compensation data into payroll before first payroll cycle
Retention periods start on effective date or last amended date
Optica standardized assistant duties across portfolios to reduce onboarding time.
The center required strict patient-data controls for assistants supporting clinicians.
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day trial | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Envelope Cap | No cap | 100 envelopes/user/year | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |