Warnings - Expiration Date?

HR In NH

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My boss, who is our General Manager and VP and a very nice person, asked me to consider a new policy of removing warnings from personnel files after a year. We currently leave these on file indefinitely.

His reasoning is based on employee morale - he doesn't want employees to feel their warning will follow them forever.

I'm not sure we should do this, because I believe history is history and it might be relevant again some day. I feel that the employee can put the warning behind him/her and show that he/she has improved, learned from the situation, etc., and it can be forgotten, but I'm not 100% comfortable with removing it from the personnel file.

This would not pertain to serious issues, which either would result in termination or a last chance warning, which would defintely remain on record indefinitely.

Your thoughts?

dixied

I have worked with companies that discipline "drops" off after one year, but we never physically removed the forms from the personnel files. They were not considered any longer in terms of progressive steps of discipline.

Irie

We used to rid the files of warnings after a year however we no longer do it for the reasons you have stated. I feel that these documents paint a pretty good picture of an employee and could be of value to management to possibly show a pattern of behavior at some point in the future if necessary.

Whirlwind

I'm not in favor of removing performance-related items from personnel files as long as the ee works there, plus five years. I totally agree with you that is may become relevant again. That old saying about "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it" might be applicable here.

Even if you were going to have a practice of removing items at some point, I think one year is way too soon.

Dutch2

We leave them in the personnel files. We do not consider them active after one year but we do not take them out of the file.

Toto

I support your reasoning not to remove documentation once placed but then was confused when you mentioned “serious issues”. When a supv thinks they must warn an EE, it is serious on at least some level.

I allow supvs to give "verbal" warnings for minor things. These can then be mentioned or considered during quarterly and annual reviews. The supv has discretion whether to do a formal "written" warning at the time of the infraction to be placed in the EE’s file. When an EE is given a written warning they are told that it will be retained permanently.
Some minor infractions may also result in a written warning if the EE has received a verbal warning in the past or there is a pattern. Hope this kind of helps you decide how to respond to your boss.

E Wart

One of my prior employers (large public corp.) had a policy of retaining disciplinary action information up to 3 years. Normally, if the employee hasn't improved during that time, they are gone. If it is something that is reoccuring and you have't documented/terminated the employee, the continous references will "keep the info" in the file longer than 3 years, even if you do clear it out. If they have improved, they shouldn't be penalized for something in the past if it is no longer an issue.
I have mixed emotions both ways. However, you do need to clear out employees files periodically.
E Wart

BettyBoop FL

All documents placed in our employee files are there permanently. This have proven to our advantage on two situations when employees were termed for cause. Both were considered to be good employees, supervisory levels, with some past issues that seemed to be resolved however documented in file. With both persons, at different times, situations again arose resulting in investigations and terminations for cause. They filed EEOC charges that were dismissed because of the documented records in their file.
Based on this I would not recommend removing any disciplinary actions from personnel files.