What should go in a personnel file

There are state and federal regulations that mandate what information companies should keep and for how long.

Understanding how to handle personnel files makes the process easier to manage. In this article, we will explain what a personnel file is, describe what documents to include, provide three key practices, give tips for document organization and answer frequently asked questions. Indeed link: New Hire Onboarding Checklist. Generally, companies keep personnel records in distinct categories for confidentiality purposes and ease of locating specific documents:.

The Human Resources department usually maintains personnel files. Other members of the company may have access to some parts of the personnel file, but generally, the information is confidential. Some documents will depend on the employee and the specifics of the position. Indeed link: How to Manage Employees. Maintaining employee personnel files can be a complex task. Implement these three practices to keep your files organized.

Dedicate a few days or weeks, depending on the size of the company, to organizing, updating and disposing of outdated personnel files each year.

Companies must maintain personnel files for a period of time after an employee has left their position. However, every document has a different storage period. Regularly reviewing inactive files can help keep paperwork organized and safely maintained.

Review the rules regarding personnel files that apply to your company. Code the documents in personnel files by the length of time you have to maintain them to help with the annual disposal of old files. Shred files coded for disposal to protect any personal information on the documents. When an employee leaves their position, their personnel file becomes inactive.

At this point, create a summary sheet of the information your company is required to keep for the longest period of time. The contents of the personnel file provide a historical overview of the important happenings during an employee's career. They support the decisions that are made about the employee and his or her career. They demonstrate the employer's rationale behind hiring , promotions, transfer, rewards and recognition, and firing decisions.

Because several types of personnel files are recommended, different rules and guidelines are associated with each type of personnel file for where they are kept and who has access. For example, most organizations do not allow the employee's manager to access the overall personnel file. They expect the managers to keep relevant documentation in their own management employee file which is not the official personnel file.

Here are the types of personnel files recommended and what you need to know about working with them. This is the main personnel file an employer maintains for each employee.

The personnel file stores the employment history of each employee. This is what you need to know about an employee personnel file. The employee medical file has serious legal restrictions that the employer must know and heed. Here is what you need to know about the confidentiality and contents of an employee medical file. Employee access to the employee payroll file is less restrictive than access to either the medical or the personnel file.

Various accounting and Human Resources staff access the information in the payroll file. Because of the access rights of various government agencies, you follow best practice by maintaining a separate file for all employee I-9 forms. You do not want government agencies poking around in your main employee personnel file. Find out more about storing I-9 forms.

You want to enable each employee to know what is in his or her personnel file, but you need to control the integrity, completeness, and thoroughness of the file. Maintaining employee and employer confidentiality and limited access are ensured with a personnel file access policy. Looking for guidelines about content that should never be included in an employee personnel file?

Here are my best recommendations about the content that you want to maintain either in a separate, informal location or not retain at all. Retention of unneeded and purely opinionated documentation can hurt you. Reposted with permission. Let our Employee Handbook Builder assist you. It includes legally binding policies and the most up-to-date state and federal requirements.

You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. By Arcelia N. Image Caption. Guidance So what are those necessary documents? The following are some examples of personnel records: Application for employment. Payroll authorization form. Notices of commendation, warning, discipline and termination. Notices of layoff, leave of absence and vacation. Notices of wage attachment or garnishment. Education and training notices and records.

Performance appraisals and reviews. Attendance records. California Employment Law Policies and Practices. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. OK My Bookmarks. Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. Delete Cancel.