Today, more and more data is electronically stored on hard drives, smart phones, CDs, flash drives, e-mail servers, and other storage devices. However, storing data electronically has its risks — mainly the likelihood that essential information will be destroyed by accidental deletion, scheduled e-mail deletions, system upgrades, or other methods. Preserving your electronic records is required by law if paper copies are not maintained for required periods. Preservation can also be an important step towards putting your organization in the best position to defend potential lawsuits. Every employer should develop procedures for ensuring that electronically…Read More
One important aspect of every business is know what Employment documents must be retained and for how long. Documents which require special care include items such as job postings, employment applications, resumes, reference checks, testing data, personnel files, wage and hour records, payroll records, and disciplinary files. While it feels good to purge those documents when the filing cabinets get stuffed to their limits, there are many federal, state, and local laws and regulations require that certain personnel records, whether stored electronically or on paper, be kept for a specified period of time and even…Read More
Understand the specific records that should be maintained on each employee. Be familiar with the federal and state laws that have an impact on the management of employee records. Establish the employee records system in a manner that takes into account both legal requirements and best practices. Ensure all records are current by updating employee files and other sources of information on a regular basis. Understand and enforce practices regarding access to employee records by others. Observe consistent rules on records retention, based on time frames dictated by laws and the needs of the organization.Read More
Record retention policy is necessary to ensure that records are (1) systematically retained for appropriate periods of time, (2) stored methodically and economically, and (3) systemically destroyed if no longer useful. Once relevant documents are appropriately identified, labeled, and stored, you should establish a records retention schedule and a timeline for the eventual destruction of the documents. At a minimum, you should retain documents for the time prescribed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. To ensure your ability to properly defend against a lawsuit, it’s highly recommended that you not destroy any documents…Read More
