The signed copy
An offer letter or employment contract goes out as a PDF and comes back signed. Usually nothing changed. Occasionally a start date, a notice period or a restrictive covenant did, and the signature on the altered version is what the company is now bound by.
The check
Compare the issued version against the returned copy. A returned copy that went through a scanner needs an OCR text layer; most HR systems apply one. Expect a little OCR noise and no substantive changes. Any substantive change goes back to the candidate before the record is closed.
Policies and handbooks
- Compare the new handbook against the current one before roll-out and publish the change list with it, so staff know what changed.
- Compare a template update against the previous template to confirm only the intended clauses changed.
- Keep the redlined PDF with the policy version as the record of what was approved.
Free to try
Documents up to 30 pages can be compared without an account. The HR industry page has more on the workflow.
Try it on your own documents. Upload two versions on the homepage. Documents up to 30 pages need no account, and nothing is stored.
Industry page: PDF comparison for HR and employment documents