Access to HR Office

sobekneferu · April 2003

I am the sole HR person at my agency. Our ED has proposed a new key system that would give many employees access to my office. My personnel files are locked, and they wouldn't have keys to those, but I am still nervous about so many employees having access to my office. A couple of years ago there was a union movement in our agency, and someone broke into my office and then broke into the employee files. Ever since, I've been a little gun-shy, but our staff has rolled over a lot since then, and I don't think there will be another move to unionized any time soon. Any opinions on locking folks out of the office as well as the files?

Thanks.

Balloonman · April 2003

With the exception of the ED, I see no reason for anyone to have a key to your office. I would remind him of the past issues and see if you can get him to change his thinking on the key system.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

jimlegal · April 2003

I agree with Balloonman!

Leslie · April 2003

Do you have medical files in there? Remember HIPAA!

Don D · April 2003

This is an absurd notion....allowing multiple people access to any part of a Human Resources office. An assistant to the department might be authorized a key for emergency use only and the facility manager or director or head honcho needs to be able to get to a key in emergencies. All others should be restricted. Please insist on it.

sobekneferu · April 2003

You all are fabulous. Thank you - I really needed some validation!

Sobekneferu

blw · April 2003

I would hate to have to put everything away off my desk and place under lock and key every night. There are several things in folders that I might be working on that are confidential and no one should have access to them. That would be another key point to your supervisor. Good Luck! Barbara

sobekneferu · April 2003

I wrote a rebuttal to the ED that said exactly that. If I had to go run an errand, or leave for lunch, I would have to sweep everything off my desk and put it into a locking file. This may be a solution to a messy desk, but not really time efficient!

Gracie · April 2003

This is indeed absurd. No one should be allowed into the HR office without any HR person around! Why would anyone wish to enter a HR office without any HR person around? I would think the need may only arise when you are on leave since you run a solo department. If this has been a problem in the past, the solution would be a key locked in a safe place and the use of the key should be documented each time someone uses the key to open up the HR office.

Does your ED always make such decisions? Ask him for the rationale....it just blew my mind to think that an ED would make such a decision!

maryfmurray · April 2003

I agree, I don't think anyone should have access to the HR office. In our agency, the only other people that have keys to my office other than myself are the Fiscal/Personnel Director and Office Manager. Our ED cannot come in unless I or the Fiscal/Personnel Director is present.

Access to HR Office

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