Does this belong in the EE Personnel File?

CLumm · August 2007

I
just took a seminar on personnel record retention and was left
wondering about certain items that aren't being used to make employment
decisions (this was the yardstick used for what to keep in the EE's
file). Do you keep these with the personnel file, and if not, where and
for how long do you store them?

- Employment verification forms (like for mortgage applications)
- Jury duty certificates
- Health plan applications/address change requests that have been superseded by the most recent one.

Toss? keep in a separate file for a period of time?

Thanks.

blakefan · August 2007

As far as the health plan applicatons, I would keep that in a separate file, especially if they have medical information or other sensitive information on it. I'm not too sure about the other two items - but I don't know of any law that says you have to keep those things.

BKate · August 2007

I usually keep jury duty certificates because they are related to time out of the office and also part of the record we require for paying employees who are out on jury duty. In addition, I generally keep copies of employment verification forms and address changes as a record in case there are questions related to what information was provided in the verification, or the proper address for final paychecks, or required notices. Not sure if this is required but seems like they are good records to have.

ddomian · August 2007

Employment verification - should not be in personnel file.

Jury Duty certificates - OK

Anything having to do with health plan - NO, should be kept in separate medical file. Address change - OK - if no health/medical information on this.

carainstl · September 2007

I just recently organized my personnel files and this is what I came up with..

Employement History - Which contains all hiring materials (offer letter, NDA, Policy Manual Acknowledgment, background checks etc.)

Payroll/Tax - W-4, direct deposti (this is where I would put Employement verification records)

Benefit Information - Anything non-medical (401k enrollment, FSA enrollment form, and HRA enrollment)

Attendance - PTO request, attendance calendar

Performance - Performance appraisals and training documents, also and disciplinary actions

The filed seperatley in a different drawer I have

Medical Folder - Drug screen, Medical Enrollment forms, FMLA request, Workmans Comp

Legal Folder - Garnishments, security Clearance information

Am I missing anything?

IT HR · September 2007

I keep all my benefits stuff in with the medical file and out of the personne file. I understand when you say it is non-medical but it really has no basis on hirig/employment decisions. Even though it doesn't have medical stuff on it, there are many that consider benefits paperwork the same as medical paperwork.

4627191 · September 2007

We use a very similar system in our files. One thing that is beneficial to consider is how many years certain items will need to be kept after an employee leaves the company. For example, one thing you list that we must keep forever is the 401(k) beneficiary form, since we never know if someone rolls their balance into another account after termination. As a result, we file those separately so that they never get purged along with an old file. This can still be tough to determine, though, since records retention timelines are frequently impacted by significant case decisions or legislation.

Landshark · September 2007

I do keep employment verifications and jury duty certificates in the employee's payroll file, just in case the paper work is lost or misplaced.

Anything related to our health plan are kept in another file.

nieman · September 2007

I agree that applications, resumes, and other forms of employment inquires, job advertisements, documents related to hiring or firing, transfers, assignment, demotion, payroll records, employment handbooks, job descriptions, training verification/professional points, evaluations and reasonable accomodation requests are eleigible for personnel files. My question--I attended a workshop that state we cannot keep any photographs nor any documentation that indicates ethnicity. I have long-term employees when 30 years ago a picture was required with thier application. We also are required by our state department to have a place ethnicity on our annual Personnel Report. I am with a school distirct. Any knowlege about these things?

Nancy

HR

HRDir1 · September 2007

If the ethnicity data is not individually identifiable, it is best. For example, if the annual personnel report just asks for ethnicity data in terms of numbers/representation in the workforce, then you would need to keep the data, but not as it pertains to any individual. Many private employers keep it separate from personnel files, as a "tear off" sheet from the application or hiring documentation. In private sector, employers who need to save this data for EEO-1 reporting ask employees to self identify and keep the data separate from the individual's other info.

Does this belong in the EE Personnel File?

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