Going paperless with HR contracts and documents: signature and digital safe

Quick answer. The employment contract can be concluded and signed electronically, with an eIDAS signature, usually at advanced level. The payslip can be issued electronically and deposited in a digital safe, unless the employee objects (Labour Code art. L3243-2). The electronic payslip must stay available for 50 years, or until the employee's retirement plus six years.

Going paperless with HR contracts and documents lightens management, speeds up processes and secures retention. But this dematerialisation follows precise rules, on the signature as on the issuance of the payslip. Here is the method and the points of vigilance to do it properly.

The employment contract can be signed electronically, like most HR acts.

The employment contract can be concluded and signed electronically, with the same value as a paper contract provided the signatory is identified and the document's integrity guaranteed (Civil Code art. 1366). The signature rests on the eIDAS regulation, which defines three levels: simple, advanced and qualified. For an employment contract, the advanced signature, which creates a reliable link between the signatory and the act and detects any change, is usually sufficient.

The logic is the same as for signing a company's articles, which we detail in our article on the electronic signature of articles online.

The payslip is the dematerialised HR document par excellence.

The employer can issue the payslip electronically, unless the employee objects (Labour Code art. L3243-2). The payslip is then deposited in a digital safe, a secure and personal space for the employee. This mode of issuance has become the norm, the employee keeping the option to request a paper format. The safe guarantees the availability and integrity of the payslip over time.

The retention period is long: the electronic payslip must stay accessible to the employee for 50 years, or until they reach retirement age plus six years. This requirement means choosing a reliable and lasting safe.

HR dematerialisation handles sensitive personal data, which imposes precautions.

The choice of signature level must suit the stakes of each document. The digital safe must guarantee availability over the legal period and secure access. Finally, HR dematerialisation processes personal data, subject to the GDPR: you must limit collection to what is necessary, secure access and check the provider's safeguards. Data confidentiality, which we address for AI and professional secrecy, also applies to HR documents.

Dematerialising HR documents brings real gains, but it cannot be improvised. The value of an electronically signed contract rests on identifying the signatory and the document's integrity; that of the electronic payslip on the reliability and durability of the safe.

Our approach is to choose a suitable signature level, favour a digital safe guaranteeing retention over 50 years, and respect the employee's right to object for the payslip. The protection of personal data must be thought through from the start. Well-conducted HR dematerialisation lightens management lastingly; botched, it weakens documents that are nonetheless sensitive, from the contract to the payslip.

A company wanted to switch to the electronic payslip to lighten its management. It checked that it could issue it via a digital safe unless employees objected, informed them of their right to object, and chose a safe guaranteeing retention over 50 years. For employment contracts, it opted for an advanced electronic signature, sufficient and reliable. The dematerialisation streamlined HR processes while securing retention and respecting employees' rights.