Do you have employees?

Then you know that employment law is heavily favored to employees.

Do you struggle to have clear agreements that minimize an employee taking advantage of you?  Then these 15 employer documents can help you protect against a variety of misunderstandings that can damage the employee/employer relationship.

 

Over the past 25 years as an employer, I have learned lessons from each employee bringing up a new issue that wasn’t defined and I had to back off my expectations and, in some cases, take a financial loss.

 

Every document I’ve created is in response to specific situations with employees.  I’m providing these 15 documents to you as a way to streamline your processes and protect you and your company financially.

You’ll receive all 15 documents for $299.  That’s only $20 per document!  I’m confident you will save more hassle and money than that from these templates.

If you don’t need all 15 documents and would like to just purchase one or two of the documents, send a message to us through our contact page and we can set up access for $25/document.

 

All documents are in Microsoft Word format so you can easily customize them to your company.

I’m not an attorney and this is not legal or employment law advice.  I hired an attorney to review these forms to make sure they were generally compliant and clear in scope but you should have your own attorney review them and to ensure they are compliant with federal law and your specific state.  If nothing else, these documents will provide templates and ideas for you to use.

 

 

Documents in this download (detailed descriptions following the list):

Background Check Authorization

Client Profiles Agreement

Company Assets Liability

Company Credit Card Form

Company Financial Instruments Policy

Company Property Agreement

Corrective Action – Warning

Driving Record Authorization

Drug Test Authorization Form

Key Check Out Form

Likeness Release

New Hire Information Sheet

Non-Solicitation Agreement

Salary Agreement

 

Detailed Description:

Background Check Authorization

This document gives the employer authorization to run a background screening on new candidates and existing employees.  It gives authorization for an employer to run multiple background screenings as needed.  This is important for employers who have technicians that are on multiple work platforms or have multiple clients that require their own background checks or annual renewals.

Client Profiles Agreement

This is for employers who have to create profiles with their clients to notify the tech that the profiles are the company’s property and are not transferrable to the employee when they leave the company.

Company Assets Liability

This form, along with an itemized list of company property (tools, supplies, electronic devices, etc) notifies the employee that the items in the Company Assets list are being loaned to the employee and must be returned upon demand from the company.  It further notifies the employee that any company property not returned will be deducted from their paycheck.  This is the only way you can legally recover your costs from an employee who has lost items (again, not legal advice, just my understanding for my situation and my state).

Company Credit Card Form

This form notifies an employee that their company credit/debit card issued in their name is for authorized business purchases only and any unauthorized charges will be deducted from their check.

Company Financial Instruments Policy

This form outlines all types of company financial instruments.  In some positions, you have to give employees access to all sorts of company financial data like company bank accounts, company credit/debit cards, and online accounts with those items saved are for business use only.  Again, giving the employer authorization to withhold funds from an employee’s paycheck if those charges are unauthorized.

Company Property Agreement

This document covers all company property, and not just property specifically checked out to the employee.  It includes all the items in their Company Assets list, all deliverables from completed jobs, all passwords/lock codes to Company Property, and all keys from their Key Check Out Form.  It also covers concepts like not keeping company documents, making copies of keys, customer information, and customer job orders.

Corrective Action – Warning

This is a blank “write up” form for employees that have violated company policy.  Whether or not you’re in a state that requires written documentation before termination, it’s a great idea to implement written warnings as a way to protect yourself against unemployment or unjust firing claims (again not legal advice, just giving you an example of what we use).

Driving Record Authorization

Just like the background authorization, this form gives the employer permission to run driving record checks on the employee and do it as needed while they are employed.

Drug Test Authorization Form

Just like the background and driving record authorization, this form gives the employer permission to perform drug screenings on the employee and do it as needed while they are employed.

Key Check Out Form

This form is to document any keys checked out to the employee and notate the key numbers, what they’re for, and to notify the employee that they are not to copy the keys.  This form also notifies them that they are responsible to pay the cost to re-key whatever the key went to if it was lost (since now the item is unsecured and at risk).

Likeness Release

If you’re doing any kind of video or audio recording of employees for marketing, YouTube, or training, this form releases the employer from liability arising out of the employee appearing in that media.  It also clarifies that the employee is not entitled to compensation for those recordings.

New Hire Information Sheet

This is a simple one-page form we put together for new hires.  It is designed to gather all of the critical details of a new employee on one form for easier data entry into our system.

Non-Solicitation Agreement

Non-compete agreements are now non-enforceable (to my understanding) but there are aspects of it that live on in a non-solicitation agreement.  This form notifies the employee that they are not to contact your customers to do business with them directly.  This version of the form allows them to pursue full time employment with companies, just not to become a vendor/contractor for them.

Salary Agreement

If you have employees on salary instead of hourly rate, this form defines what they employee expectations are and when the employer can reduce the salary based on missed days or partial days.

 

Video Transcript

If you have employee technicians or you’re potentially looking to hire technicians to work for you, employees always add another layer of difficulty to everything that you do. What I’ve tried to do to offset that is to develop procedures, processes, and specific documents to protect myself as the employer for all the different situations that I’ve seen come up over the last 20 years.

If you don’t know me, I am Michael from Field Tech Academy. I create content to educate on the IT contracting industry and help individuals and companies make more money in this field. I focus my content on three distinct groups:

1. Technicians that are just getting started and learning about the industry.
2. Experienced technicians operating on their own, maybe already working on platforms like Field Nation, CloudWork Pro, or Work Market.
3. People hiring sub-technicians in the IT contracting industry, which is very difficult.

I also offer a direct client package where I provide a list of clients, exclusive video content, and educational material on how to get your own direct clients.

Today, I’m sharing some documents I’ve developed over the last 20 years to help when hiring employees. In many cases, conflicts between employers and employees arise from not setting proper expectations. I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not an employment law expert, but I’ve learned that most laws are written to protect employees more than employers. So, as an employer, you need to dot your “T’s” and cross your “I’s” with written agreements.

Without these precautions, situations will arise that could cost you a lot of money—like a technician using a company debit card for personal purchases or losing tools. These documents help protect you and set expectations upfront, making the exit process smoother.

You have to plan for the exit because it’s going to happen. Like any contract or business partnership, if you don’t plan for the ending procedures upfront, you’ll have problems at the end. To help other employers, I’ve put together a package of 14 individual documents. There is some overlap, but I find it clearer to address each separately. Not every document will apply to every situation, so there’s no need to bundle them all into one massive document.

Let’s go through the list and I’ll explain the purpose behind each document.

1. Background Check Authorization Document – Many clients require background authorizations. Platforms like Field Nation and Work Market demand background checks from their own vendors, so you may end up running multiple checks and drug screenings. This document includes verbiage authorizing you to run multiple background checks and drug tests as needed, and it states that failing a background check can be grounds for termination.
2. Driving Record Authorization and Drug Test Authorization – Similar to background checks, this allows you to run multiple driving record checks and drug screenings on your employees.
3. Client Profiles Agreement – When setting up employees as sub-techs on platforms like Field Nation, their profiles grow stronger with time and experience. However, platforms don’t allow profile transfers when an employee leaves, so this document clarifies that profiles belong to the company, not the technician.
4. Company Assets Liability Document – As an employer, you provide company vans, tools, cell phones, and tablets. This document holds employees responsible for any items checked out to them. If they lose these items, the cost can be deducted from their paycheck. I recommend auditing their vehicles every six months to re-inventory what they have, so you’re not trying to recover everything when they leave.
5. Company Credit Card Form – I find it easier to provide a company debit card instead of direct access to bank accounts. This form sets the parameters for authorized business expenses, and it holds employees accountable for personal purchases or failing to upload receipts.
6. Company Financial Instruments Policy – Some employees have access to direct bank cards or saved payment methods (Amazon, eBay, etc.). This document makes it clear that unauthorized purchases will result in paycheck deductions.
7. Company Property Agreement – This document covers everything from tools, deliverables, passwords, lock codes, keys, and more. If an employee fails to return company property, the cost is deducted from their paycheck.
8. Corrective Action Document – This template outlines steps for employee warnings, whether verbal or written, and defines escalation points that could lead to termination.
9. Key Checkout Form – Employees with access to company offices, vehicles, or storage buildings must acknowledge that they are responsible for these keys. If a key is lost, the employee must pay to have the locks re-keyed.
10. Likeness Release – If your business records videos or photos that include employees, this release allows you to use their likeness or voice in media without needing to take the content down if they leave.
11. New Hire Information Sheet – This form collects basic information like name, address, emergency contact, shirt size, steel-toe boot preferences, and smoking preferences for hotel rooms.
12. Non-Solicitation Agreement – Although non-compete agreements are no longer allowed, this document protects your business by preventing employees from soliciting your clients after they leave.
13. Salary Agreement – If you pay employees on salary, this document sets clear expectations about availability and responsibilities, ensuring they don’t become complacent because they’re earning a fixed wage.

All of these documents are designed to set clear expectations, protect the employer, and prevent issues down the road. The full Employer Document Package is available on my website at Field Tech Academy. If you need just one or two documents, feel free to reach out and I can provide individual pricing.

This package will help improve your relationships with your employees by making everything clear and defined upfront. Let’s get your employees out in the field making money!