Letters and agreements before any client work
An appointment letter is required for each employee under the OSH Code, and an agency's version should also cover confidentiality and ownership of the work created during employment. Some clients also want each person on their account to sign their own NDA. Set the document checklist to include the signed appointment letter, NDA and any client-specific undertakings, and collect them before the joiner opens a single client folder.
Portfolio rules for creative joiners
Creative people build careers on their portfolios, and agencies need to protect client work that has not been released or that clients do not want shown. Agree a simple portfolio policy at joining: what can be shown after launch, what needs the agency's permission and what can never be shown. Put it in the appointment letter or a short signed note, and file it in the employee's documents. It prevents a frequent dispute when creatives leave for another agency.
Paperwork online, day one on the account
Send the self-onboarding link when the offer is accepted, so personal, bank, education and past job details and documents arrive before joining, in English, Hindi or Gujarati. Once HR approves a submission, ZeniaHR turns it into the employee record; unclear documents go back to the joiner. On day one, the joiner needs design or editing software, shared drives, the project tool and, for social roles, access to client handles granted by the account lead, not shared passwords. Spend the first week on account briefings: brand guidelines, past campaigns, the client's people and current briefs.
Probation judged on the work
Set probation months by employment type, typically three to six months, with the manager's review required. In an agency, the review should rest on work: briefs delivered, client feedback, and how the person handled a pitch or a launch. ZeniaHR reminds HR and the manager before the date; the creative director or account head gives a score on the 1 to 5 scale in My Team with a note on the work; HR then confirms, with the letter filed to the employee's documents, extends the period and records why, or marks the person not confirmed.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Add the signed appointment letter, NDA, client undertakings and portfolio note to the onboarding document checklist.
- Send the self-onboarding link on offer acceptance so documents arrive before day one.
- Keep appointment letter and NDA templates with confidentiality and ownership clauses in the HR letter library.
- Set probation months with manager review required, and brief managers to review on delivered work.
- Name each joiner's reporting manager on the day the record is approved, so leave and probation go to the right person.
Read more about onboarding in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What documents should an agency collect from new joiners?
Identity and address proof, PAN and bank proof, education certificates and papers from past employers, plus a signed appointment letter covering confidentiality and ownership of work, an NDA, any client-specific undertakings and a portfolio policy note for creative staff. Collect them before the joiner works on any client material.
Who owns the work an agency employee creates?
Agencies settle this in writing. The appointment letter should say that work created in the course of employment belongs to the agency or its client, in line with the agency's client contracts. Have a lawyer draft the clause once, use it for every joiner, and agree a separate portfolio policy for creatives.
How long is probation in an advertising agency?
Typically three to six months, set in the appointment letter. The probation review should rest on actual work: briefs delivered, client feedback and contribution to a pitch or launch. In ZeniaHR, HR and the manager are reminded as the end date approaches, and the rating the manager gives feeds the decision to confirm or extend.