Josh
Viau's article "Are You Properly Hoarding
Employee Records?" was featured September 15, 2014
on Easy Small Business HR.
Many human resource departments could lay claim to an episode of
the television series "Hoarders," which chronicles the
tribulations of people who suffer from compulsive hoarding. But the
tendency to hang on to employment-related documents is completely
understandable given the myriad of laws and regulations governing
the maintenance and destruction of these records. On top of that,
even if an employer decides to clean out the files, employers run
the risk of liability if they don't properly protect and
destroy confidential information and it ends up in the wrong
hands.
To prevent mistakes and inconsistencies, employers should
establish a clear policy on record retention and destruction
including a schedule, file location and methods of destruction.
Larger organizations also should consider designating a records
administrator charged with oversight and compliance with the
policy. Once the required retention timeframes have been met,
employers should create a document destruction log and make sure
that disposal is completed with finality and security so as to
minimize the risk of a breach.
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