A single hire generates a stack of documents carrying some of the most personal information a company ever handles an offer letter with a salary figure, a background check report, signed tax forms, bank details for payroll setup. All of it needs to move between a candidate, HR, and sometimes a hiring manager, and almost none of it should sit indefinitely in a shared inbox that half the team can see into.
Why a shared HR inbox is a bigger risk than it looks
Offer letters and onboarding documents routinely pass through a general hr@ or careers@ inbox that multiple people have access to which is fine for scheduling and general correspondence, and not fine for a document with someone's salary, home address, or national ID number attached. Once a sensitive file lands as an attachment in that inbox, it's visible to everyone with access, indefinitely, with no way to limit who actually opens it.
Sending offer letters without broadcasting the number
A compensation figure is exactly the kind of detail that shouldn't be forwardable without a second thought. A password-protected link sent to the candidate directly rather than CC'd across a hiring thread keeps the number between the candidate and whoever they choose to show it to, not anyone who happens to have inbox access during the hiring process.
Background checks and verification reports
Background check vendors typically deliver a report back to HR, which then needs to reach the hiring manager or whoever makes the final call and this is a document that genuinely shouldn't circulate past the people with a legitimate reason to see it. Treating it the same as any other email attachment is how it ends up in more inboxes than it should, simply because forwarding is the path of least resistance.
Collecting documents from new hires, not just sending them
Onboarding runs in both directions a new hire needs to submit signed forms, ID verification, tax documents, and bank details before day one. Asking someone to email scanned personal documents piecemeal is both awkward and insecure. A single upload link sent to the new hire, requiring no account on their end, gives them one place to submit everything at once, with the same encryption applied to what comes back as what goes out.
Documents that shouldn't outlive the hiring process
Not every document needs to stay accessible forever. A background check report or an early-stage offer that was later revised doesn't need a link that still works six months later. Setting an expiration on sensitive onboarding documents means access closes on its own once the hiring process concludes, rather than depending on someone remembering to delete an old email thread.
What to look for
- Encryption by default, not as a setting someone on the team has to remember to turn on.
- Password protection available without an enterprise upgrade, most HR teams aren't large enough to justify one just for this.
- No account required for candidates and new hires, someone who hasn't started yet shouldn't need to register anywhere.
- Expiration control, so sensitive documents don't stay reachable indefinitely.
On Letshareit, every file is encrypted with AES-256 automatically, and password protection is available on every plan, including Free. For collecting signed forms and ID documents from new hires, a single upload link works the same way in reverse, with no account needed on their end.
