Documents

Shinepoint's document system helps you generate professional HR and compliance documents from pre-built templates, personalised with your business branding and employee details. Rather than starting from scratch with a blank Word document each time you need a formal letter or contract, you can select a template, fill in the relevant details, and have a polished, ready-to-send document in minutes.

#Document Templates

Shinepoint includes a library of 19 professionally written document templates covering the most common HR and employment scenarios. Each template is designed with UK compliance in mind, using appropriate language, structure, and legal references so you can be confident in what you're sending.

Templates are organised into categories to help you find what you need quickly.

#Disciplinary

These templates support a fair and structured disciplinary process, following Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) best practice:

• Disciplinary Investigation Letter - notifies an employee that an investigation is taking place and sets out what is being looked into
• Disciplinary Hearing Invitation - formally invites an employee to a disciplinary hearing, including their right to be accompanied
• Disciplinary Outcome Letter (Warning) - records the outcome of a hearing where a formal warning has been issued
• Disciplinary Outcome Letter (Dismissal) - records the outcome of a hearing where a decision to dismiss has been made

#HR and Management

General-purpose templates for day-to-day people management:

• Invitation to Meeting Letter - a general invitation to a formal meeting with an employee
• Return to Work Interview Form - a structured form for conducting return to work conversations after a period of absence
• Probation Review Letter - confirms the outcome of a probation period review
• Probation Extension Letter - notifies an employee that their probation period is being extended, with reasons and next steps
• Contract Variation Letter - formally records agreed changes to an employee's terms and conditions
• Training Completion Confirmation - confirms that an employee has successfully completed a training programme
• Flexible Working Request Response - provides a formal response to an employee's flexible working request, whether approved or declined
• Grievance Acknowledgement Letter - acknowledges receipt of a formal grievance and outlines the next steps in the process
• Right to Work Reminder Letter - reminds an employee that their right to work documentation needs to be updated
• Risk Assessment Summary Report - documents the findings and actions from a workplace risk assessment

#Employment Contracts

Standard employment contract templates for different working arrangements:

• Full-Time Employment Contract - for permanent, full-time employees
• Part-Time Employment Contract - for permanent, part-time employees
• Fixed-Term Employment Contract - for employees on a fixed-term basis with a defined end date
• Zero-Hours Contract - for casual workers with no guaranteed minimum hours

#Offers

• Offer of Employment Letter - a formal offer of employment, setting out the key terms and conditions ahead of a full contract

#Generating Documents

Creating a document from a template is straightforward and takes just a few steps.

Start by selecting Browse Templates from the documents page. You can search for a specific template by name or filter by category using the pill buttons at the top of the page. Each template card shows a brief description and how many fields it contains, so you can gauge what information you'll need before you begin.

Once you've found the right template, select Use Template to open the document generator.

#Filling in the Details

The generator presents a two-panel layout. On the left, you'll fill in the document details. On the right, a live preview updates in real time as you type, so you can see exactly how the finished document will look.

If the document relates to a specific employee, select them from the employee dropdown. Shinepoint then automatically populates merge fields throughout the document - the employee's name, job title, department, start date, and your business details are all filled in for you. The current date is inserted too.

Below the employee selector, you'll find any custom fields specific to that template. For a disciplinary hearing invitation, for example, you might need to enter the hearing date, time, location, and the nature of the allegation. For a contract variation letter, you'd specify what's changing and when. Fill in each field, and watch the preview update as you go.

Any fields you haven't filled in yet appear as highlighted placeholders in the preview, making it easy to spot what's still needed.

#Signatures and Branding

Your business logo and branding are applied to the document automatically. If you've set up a personal signature in your profile settings, it will be embedded in the document as the sender's signature. If you haven't set one up, Shinepoint will use your business's default signature instead. The generator shows you which signature will be used before you proceed.

When you're happy with the preview, select Generate Document to create it.

#Managing Generated Documents

All your documents - both generated from templates and uploaded - appear on the main documents page. This gives you a single place to find, track, and manage everything.

#Finding Documents

The documents list shows the title, category, associated employee, who created it, when it was created, and its current status. You can search by title, filter by category, or filter by source to show only uploaded or generated documents. If you're looking for a specific document, the search bar narrows results as you type.

#Document Statuses

Generated documents have two possible statuses:

• Draft - the document can still be edited, modified, or deleted. This is the default status when a document is first generated.
• Final - the document is locked and can no longer be changed or deleted. Marking a document as final is permanent and cannot be undone.

You'll also see whether a document has been sent via email and how many times, as well as whether an employee signature is still pending.

#Editing Documents

Whilst a document is in draft, you can select Edit Document to open the rich text editor. The editor gives you full control over the content with formatting options including bold, italic, underline, headings, bullet and numbered lists, text alignment, links, and horizontal rules. You can rearrange, reword, or restructure the document however you need.

Any unsaved changes are clearly indicated, and you can save or discard your edits at any point.

#Finalising Documents

When a document is ready and you're confident it won't need further changes, you can mark it as final from the document detail page. This locks the document permanently - it can't be edited or deleted after this point. Shinepoint records who finalised it and when, creating a clear audit trail.

#Sending Documents

You can email any document directly from Shinepoint by selecting Send via Email on the document detail page. Enter the recipient's email address, a subject line, and an optional covering message. The document is attached as a PDF. Shinepoint keeps a record of every time a document is sent, including who sent it, when, and to which email address.

#Document Signatures

For documents that require a signature from the employee - such as contracts, disciplinary outcomes, or policy acknowledgements - Shinepoint includes built-in e-signature capability.

When generating a document, you can mark it as requiring an employee signature. Once the document is sent or made available, the employee can sign it electronically through their Employee Portal. Shinepoint records the date and time of signing, along with verification details, providing a reliable record of consent or acknowledgement.

On the document detail page, you can see the signing status at a glance: whether the employer signature has been captured, and whether the employee has signed or their signature is still pending.

E-signatures captured through Shinepoint carry the same weight as a wet signature for most standard HR documents under UK law, including contracts and policy acknowledgements. For situations where a witnessed or notarised signature is required, you should make separate arrangements.

#In the Employee Portal

Employees can view and manage documents assigned to them directly from the Employee Portal. From the portal, they can:

• See all documents that have been shared with them
• View and download documents as PDFs
• Sign documents electronically where a signature has been requested
• Upload documents when asked to provide supporting paperwork

This self-service approach means employees can review and respond to documents at a time that suits them, without needing to visit the office or print anything out.