Organizing employee files
July 10, 2014 at 9:16 AM
Organizing employee files is an important task for any company. There are certain things that can be done to ensure that these files are organized and easy to access. A company that uses employee management software generally has no trouble accomplishing this.
When organizing files for each employee they need to be divided into the appropriate categories. These categories are personnel records, medical files, payroll records and an I-9 file.
Personnel Records
Personnel records must include an employee's initial job application and resume with references as well as a written copy of the job description as it was advertised, a W-4 form, evaluation forms, benefits records that state insurance and retirement benefits and any documentation regarding promotions, raises, complaints and disciplinary actions against an employee.
Medical Files
An employee's medical file should be kept separate from their personnel files. The reason for this is that personnel decisions such as promotions and raises can't take into account their medical history. Also, privacy laws state that these files must be maintained separately. You will also need to have a separate file for employees who have been hurt on the job and have filed a worker's compensation claim. Within these files should also be paperwork proving that employees were subject to safety training on the job.
Payroll Files
Payroll files for each employee must be carefully maintained. Vacation and sick time should also be kept track of and documented within employee payroll files.
I-9 Files
An I-9 file must also be kept for each employee. Keeping these files separated from other files is an important thing to do. This makes it easier to only hold onto current paperwork and discard of certain paperwork after its retention period has expired.
It is crucial that employee files be kept in a place where only authorized parties have access to them. However, employees must be allowed to view their personnel files whenever they want to. Failure by their employer to allow them access to those files can result in a lawsuit against the company. Every company must have a strict policy in place that dictates exactly who can view personnel files and when and where they can view them. Personnel files should be contained within the HR department of any company because releasing the file to anyone else can be very risky for a company.
When filing personnel documents the task should be done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The longer files sit unattended the more likely it is that some type of problem will arise, such as lost files, files put in the wrong place or files left in a place where people who should not be able to access them can anyway.
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Have questions about Staff Files? Call us at 1-800-874-8801 or email us at sales@abs-usa.com.