Re: HR Records/Keep vs. Toss

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
 Joyce <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
|> I've been asked by an Engr. firm to find out which documents in the HR 
|> files could be eliminated.  They've been in the habit of saving 
|> everything.  One of the items are bonus authorizations which are signed 
|> by the supervisor and the employee.  This happens quarterly so for 
|> anyone who's been around for a number of years, there's a lot of paper.
|> 
|> Does anyone know why keeping these might be necessary since the 
|> employees have already received the check?
|> 
|> This may be a very basic question, but I have no experience in this area 
|> and I'm not sure where to try to find the answers.
|> 
|> Also, the environmental folks that work for them have certifications 
|> which are renewed annually.  Would there be a reason to keep copies of 
|> past certifications? They were thinking that should a client ever 
|> question whether they were certified at the time of a past job, they 
|> could go back and prove it.  However, these are state certifications and 
|> I would think if necessary that info could be requested from the state. 
|>     Thanks for your input.  Joyce


Your first question should be answered by a lawyer familiar with
the business, as there are tax implications to this type of 
record.  Five year retention would be common but you need to check.
Once retention schedule is known then you can design an RM process
considering the normal RM issues (arrangement, retrieval, preservation, 
etc.)

Certifications also have a legal aspect as lawsuits over past work may 
challenge these.  So you need to estimate the cost of preservation, then
do a risk assessment and let management make the final call.