Create a Signature Template
How do I create a signature template?
Purpose: To teach you how to set up a template for e-signatures. A signature template is a formatted document that allows an employee to fill out the information and electronically sign it. Once you create a template, you can use it for multiple employees. Utilizing e-signatures in BambooHR will save you countless hours of printing, sending, signing, and filing documents for employees. This guide will help teach you how you can get started.
Do you prefer hands-on learning? Our interactive guides will guide you through different aspects of your BambooHR experience. We have an interactive guide specifically designed to show you how to create a signature template. You can use the link below to access this guide. All you need to do is modify the "REPLACEME" with your BambooHR subdomain, and you can get started!
https://REPLACEME.bamboohr.com/home?pendo=4fht0ui-8aB1aKAyI-pzHsvUNCQ
Upload a file
To get started with a signature template, go to the Files tab and upload the file you would like to use. You do not need to "share" the file at this time.
When creating a signature template, a document must be a PDF or Word document (.doc or .docx) to upload. The maximum size for a signature file is 10 MB.
Upload a scanned document that is in a higher resolution to have its fields display clearly. If the text is too light, it can cause an issue in a clear display of the document. We do not recommend uploading scanned pages with handwriting, low-quality scans, or complex photographs.
We recommend you leave complex documents as a PDF on the Files tab to share with employees. In these cases, it is best to create a one-page signature document for the employee to affirm that they read or agreed to the larger document.
If the PDF file includes any lingering formatting (such as fillable fields or password protection), the e-signature feature may not be able to read it as part of the base file. To prevent errors, we recommend that you use only PDF documents that do not have any preset formatting.
This can be done by "flattening" or simplifying the base PDF document, before using it to create a signature template.
To flatten the PDF to ensure that the e-signature tool can read the externally entered text, you will need to do the following:
- Before uploading a new PDF document, open the document and select the option to print > Print to PDF. This will save a simplified PDF copy of the file to your device.
- From the Files tab within BambooHR, upload the simplified version of the PDF.
- You can then use this simplified version of the document to create a signature template.
You can also do this for any current signature templates in the Files Tab that have externally entered text affecting the PDF string and e-signature tool.
- Navigate to one of the affected forms under the Files tab > Open the file > Select Print > Print to PDF.
- Upload the new simplified version of the PDF into the Files Tab in BambooHR, and use this new document to create a signature template.
- The old complex version of the document can then be deleted so that it is not used for future signature requests.
Begin a signature template setup
Once you upload a file, hover over the file and click the action menu. Select Signature Setup...
Set up the signature template
The Signature Setup will display the document. On the right sidebar, you will see a few different features for editing the template. Once you complete edits, click Save Template.
All signature templates will save as a PDF, regardless of the document's uploaded form.
After you click Add Employee Info, you can add information* from an employee's profile to the document. In this way, you can save the employee time when they fill out the document.
To add a field to the document, click on a field name, and it will automatically appear on the document. You can drag and drop the field wherever you prefer. Additionally, you can resize the field (which will change the text size) by clicking on the dots in the bottom right corner of the field, then drag it outwards or inwards. You can remove the field from the document by clicking the "X" in the top right corner of the field.
* Please note, if you are adding information from a historical table, it will pull in the top line of data even if it's dated for in the future. Information in standard tables can't be added to signature templates.
To quickly create a signature template, you can use the following key commands:
- "cmd* + click & drag" (*Option on a Mac) will duplicate a signature field.
- "shift + click & drag" will show alignment guides in a signature template.
- "alt + shift + click & drag" will duplicate a signature field and show alignment guides in the signature template for the newly duplicated field.
The following field types are available for an employee to fill out when signing a document:
- Text Field:* A single-line text field that allows the employee to add the necessary information.
- Paragraph: A field that includes multiple lines for text entry, which will wrap and shrink to a smaller size while maintaining legibility.
- Date Field: A field that allows the employee to select a specific date in time.
- Checkbox: Add a single checkbox that allows the employee to check or uncheck something on the document or add a series of checkboxes. You can mark a checkbox as required. For more details, see the "Multiple checkboxes" section below.
- Signature: The employee can add their signature to this field and have it displayed on the document.
- Initials: A field for the employee to add their initials.
To add one of these field types, click on a field type, and it will automatically appear on the document. You can drag and drop the field wherever you prefer. Additionally, you can resize the field by clicking on the dots in the bottom right corner of the field, then drag it outwards or inwards. You can remove the field from the document by clicking the "X" in the top right corner of the field.
You will then need to determine who needs to complete the added field if there are multiple signers and give the field a name. The name will used for accessibility: if the person filling out the document is using a screen reader, it will read the assigned field name. Finally, set the field as required or not. The employee cannot complete the document until they complete the required field.
*When using a text field, you will need to expand the text field out proportionately to the amount of text the employee will enter in the field. The text field will not automatically expand when the employee enters the text.
Multiple checkboxes
If a document needs to have a series of checkboxes (think I-9), you can easily accommodate this within a signature template. Keep in mind that you can add up to 15 checkboxes. When you select a checkbox within a group of checkboxes, it will create a dashed-line bounding box as the perimeter of all checkboxes (shown below).
If the checkbox is a required field, an additional option will appear, and you will have two options to select from:
- Only one can be checked (set by default)
- At least one must be checked
Additionally, a document will not be complete until an employee completes the required checkbox.
An employee is required to sign an e-signature document. If you add any additional signers to the document, you will need to determine the signing order. Drag and drop the signers in a preferred order. The first signer will receive the document first, and then it will follow through with the signing order as each signer completes the document. The fields filled out by the previous signers will show to each new signer. Once the final signer completes the document, the requester will get a notification, and the document will upload to the employee's Documents tab.
You can allow up to five signers on an e-signature document.
If you create a signature template for the I-9 form, you will want to confirm that the second signer reflects the person in your organization responsible for verifying the identification portion as stated in the form.
Clicking Manage Field Order will show all the fields that require the signer to fill out (not ones that will be auto-filled with employee information) in the order you added them. If you adjusted the order on the document, that will not be reflected in this menu. You can click and drag the fields to be in the order you would like the employee to fill them out. When an employee is completing a document, they will be able to tab quickly and easily to the next field to fill out.
Once an e-signature document has gone through the signing process, it will automatically upload to the employee's Documents tab in BambooHR. You can select the default folder for this particular document. If a user has deleted the chosen folder, the settings will have the folder revert to the Signed Documents folder.
The font in the signature box is Herr Von Muellerhoff. The font in data fields within the document is Source Sans Regular.
Please note that if you set up a signature template with text in a different language, the font may differ slightly.
To edit a signature template, go to the Files tab and click on the title of the signature template file to preview the document. You can also select the arrow icon and click on Edit Signature Template from the drop-down list to view the template edit page directly.
Once you preview the signature template file, click Edit Signature Template in the top right corner. You will arrive at the Signature Setup where you can make any necessary changes.
Here you will also be able to edit the signer if needed. Simply hover over the current signer and click the pencil icon.
This will pull up a modal that will allow you to select a new signer. Click Update to save that information and move back to editing the template.
If you need to create the same template but with different signers (i.e. maybe you need different people to sign the I-9 form at each of your locations), then you can use the option to duplicate the template.
This will create an exact replica of the signature template, duplicated in every way - fields, signers, and signing order. The duplicated template will be named "(Original document title) - Copy". It will automatically open to the signature setup so you can make additional changes.