Multiple personnel files
KathiHR
91 Posts
For those of you who have a corporate office (with corporate HR) & multiple branch offices with no HR on site, what kind of personnel information is kept at branch offices? I'd like to hear how this information in maintained at other companies. We recently had an incident that turned this issue into a real hot potato & now I'm reviewing our policies, trying to look at every angle.
Comments
Good luck with what sounds like a major problem.
From another office in a different state I got word that an employee's personnel file was missing a copy of his college diploma, transcript, professional certification, & license to practice. Needless to say, the employee is furious (rightfully so) & has had to notify his licensing body that his credentials were possibly stolen. His professional "number" now has to be monitored for malpractice and medicaid billings, which could be medicaid fraud. I've given you the short version, because both of these situations get complicated, but obviously, what we're doing now is not working. Our local offices are for clinical work...no HR on site.
We have approximately 100 locations throughout the US. The "master personnel files" are kept in our offices. The offsites keep a "shadow file" with whatever they feel is necessary information. BUT .... in case of audit (Wage and Hour, OFCCP, etc. the "master personnel files" are here in Rockville, MD. The audit takes place here. We ensure we have the originals of all of the new hire paperwork (offer, iv evaluation, application, resume). We keep the orginal of all performance appraisals and our Personnel action forms reflecting salary actions, changes in personal information and disciplinary actions and appropriate back-up. The offsites usually make a copy of what they send. This has worked well for us for many years. We have been working on going "paperless" for the past year - but it's really difficult. Maybe someday...... anybody have any insight to a paperless office?
PORK
Most of the large office's GM's have an office person who helps them with the personnel files and some HR paperwork (getting employees enrolled in benefits, sending in the time worked each week). However, all HR issues are handled between me and the GM.
I have to give each location instructions on how to handle personnel files and review them when I visit. So far, this hasn't created a problem.
I have a "working file" on each person here and a HIPAA file (as does each location). Use them for maintaining information on employees that I get involved with (group claims paid, benefits enrollment, etc.)
E Wart