Have you tackled the steps to create your business, negotiated your first office, and earned (or raised!) enough money to recruit? Congratulations, now you just need to find your first talent and follow our checklist to optimize the hiring process.
Here are the main steps to hire your first employee.
Sign the Job Offer
Note: This is not mandatory but a good practice.
After searching for months, you have finally found the perfect person to hire. You are sure that your new collaboration will be wonderful… Great, but don’t forget to commit reciprocally by signing a job offer. This document will reassure your new recruit about your commitment and allow them to resign from their current job peacefully (if they are currently employed) or at least stop their job search. A copy of the job offer should be given to them.
Check the Work Authorization
This may seem obvious, but it is worth considering before committing. Make sure your ideal candidate has a valid work authorization. For example, for a foreigner, a visa, residence permit, or other residence document is necessary (except for EU citizens).
Note: The job offer is especially useful when the start date or contract signing is scheduled late (a few weeks or months). If the contract can be signed immediately or very quickly, you can do without it.
Sign the Employment Contract
Like your future collaboration, it must be clear, transparent, and flawless. You will need several copies, including one for your new employee. In practice, the contract is usually signed a few days, weeks, or months before the scheduled start date, but it is also very common for the signing to be done on the first day of work.
Depending on your activity, clauses can be added to a standard contract; consult a specialized lawyer or legal advice websites that can customize your contract.
However, be cautious of contract templates available for free online. They are often very incomplete, poorly adapted, and may not legally protect both parties as needed.
Fill Out the Pre-Employment Declaration (DPAE)
Commonly known as “declaring” your employee. Do it directly on the URSSAF website, which centralizes the information and distributes it to other relevant organizations.
For you, this declaration allows you to be registered as an employer in the general social security system, affiliated with the unemployment insurance scheme, and request your membership to an occupational health service. For your employee, the DPAE allows registration with the primary health insurance fund (CPAM) and also to request an information and prevention visit (VIP) or a medical fitness examination (EAM) at the time of hiring.
This declaration must be completed and sent within eight days before the planned start date of your employee. You must also provide a copy of this DPAE to your employee.
Organize the Medical Visit
As mentioned in the previous point, it is mandatory to conduct an information and prevention visit, formerly known as the “pre-employment medical visit.” This visit must take place within three months following the employee’s start date, unless exempted.
Record in the Single Personnel Register
Whether on paper or digitally, maintaining a register is mandatory from the first employee. You must enter specific information about your employee (this must be done for each employee in chronological order of hiring).
Set Up Health Insurance and Provident Coverage
Mandatory since 2016, the employer must inform, offer, and even ensure that the employee has health insurance. You must cover at least 50% of it (or more depending on agreements).
The status (executive, supervisor, etc.) and collective agreements also govern provident coverage (the Syntec agreement, for example, requires a provident contract for all employees).
Plan Future Professional Interviews
Legally, an interview between the employer and the employee is mandatory every two years to discuss career development prospects and potential training.
In practice, an annual interview seems to be a minimum. In some professions, quarterly or even monthly meetings are good practices to ensure the employee’s well-being, short-term wishes, and involvement.