What do your personnel files look like?

I am just curious to see how other companies set up their personnel files. I work in the corporate office for a local restaurant chain. We have 4 compnay owned stores with a total of about 300 employees.

The corporate office has the file for each employee set up like this:
- Main file with new hire paperwork, tax forms, evaluations, tests, general information.
- I-9s in a binder in ABC order separated out according to store
- Health questionnaires in one folder, in ABC order according to stores (I don't particularly care for this but more on that later...)
- Benefit file for each employee

The stores also have satellite files with tests, general info, copies of evaluations, work permits and incident reports. All other info is sent to corporate office.

My problem is that some of the stores get doctor's notes from their employees when they have been out sick. They throw these in the employees files. Would that be considered health information? I feel that they should send it to me to put in the corporate file, but I do not feel comfortable putting it in the main file. At my old job, we had health files on every employee that contained at the least, the worker's comp health questionnaire. Of course there were only about 45 employees. Since the method that we have for the questionnaires here does not allow for that (one mass folder per store), I cannot put it with what I consider their "health information". I would have create separate health files for each employee but that would be over 300 files of just health questionnaires and a handful with doctor's notes and such. Am I being overly anal about these files and the notes should be kept in the store's files or should I create files for every employee?

Comments

  • 6 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • You're not going to like the answer, but each employee should a separate medical file. This will have doctors notes, FMLA documents, drug tests and I would also include your health questionaire. I would have those files at corporate in a separate file cabinet from your regular personnel files, under lock and key with limited access. You have lots of issues regarding employee privacy about medical conditions.

    Margaret Morford
    theHRedge
    615-371-8200
    [email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
    [url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]
  • I agree with you. I would feel much better personally about the files and such. That will be my big project at the end of this month. I have the DOL coming next week for an audit so once that is over, my files are getting an overhaul!
  • We maintain a multi-section file with new hire paperwork, pay change forms, evaluations, reprimands, training records etc. in it. Then we have a manila folder kept behind the main file for "confidential" records. The main things in it are medical, FMLA, notes from the doctor etc. But anything we consider very confidential could go in it. I-9's we also keep in a separate binder alphabetically, ready to produce if INS shows up.

    We keep another separate folder for benefit related forms and records. Insurance, 401k etc.

    Fortunately, I only have one location to worry about.
  • Hey Margaret, I like your answer! Its the only right and safe answer. That's exactly the way we structure files!
  • I once worked for a company that had what I consider the best setup for personnel files. Each employee had a hanging file, and within that file were 5 differently colored folders--green for general info, blue for medical, red for benefits, etc. All files were locked, and technically the medical info was not in the file with the other info.
  • I currently have my files separated into 4 different files also. One for attendance/warnings/performance reviews/conversation documentation as well as any awards and or certificates. Another folder I have all the new hire paperwork, emergency contacts, tax info, pay increases, anything relating to payroll garnishments, and payroll deduction authorizations. Another folder is for the medical info, FMLA, STD, dr' notes, etc. and last I have a folder with correspondance not related to the other folders, ie. verifications of employments, requests from employee, copies of funeral leave and jury duty notes etc. When the managers need to review a file they only have acess to the red file unless there is a $$ question then I need to give them the increase paperwork on the employee. This way they cannot have their judgement impaired by anything they may see such as garnishments, mortgage verifications, etc.
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