How to Safely Maintain School Employee Records

Many schools put tremendous effort into maintaining student records. However, there is sometimes less emphasis on maintaining and organizing proper employee records.

It’s important to store your employee records appropriately for organizational and audit purposes. Using a system that can be easily followed ensures current and future administrators can find the information needed quickly, and helps protect your school from risk.

When it comes to your organizational system, we recommend the following five items.

• Official personnel file. There should be an official personnel file kept for each employee. This file includes documents relating to the employee’s history with the school, ranging from hiring and pay increases to corrective and termination action notices, if appropriate. This file acts as the person’s official history with the school. The employee’s supervisor, the School Head, Division Heads, and Department Chairs could all have access to this file, as necessary.
• Supervisor's desk file. This file is not an “official” record. Instead, it contains notes that a supervisor keeps on each employee who reports to him or her, for purposes of coaching and mentoring them. These informal notes are meant to help support the employee’s long-term performance and growth.
• Employee benefits file. This file relates to the official personnel file in that it’s kept on an employee-by-employee basis. However, keep the official benefits record separate from the personnel record, due to the sensitive nature of the personal and confidential information it contains. No one other than the Business Manager or the Human Resources Manager should have access to this file.
• Recruiting file. This file is not maintained on an employee-by-employee basis, but rather on a position-by-position basis. This file contains the history of the search when the school looks to fill a position, including ads that were placed, résumés that were received, and interviews that were conducted.
• I-9 file. All US employers, including private-independent schools, are required to complete and compile I-9 forms on all employees within three days of the employee starting work. All I-9 forms should kept in a single file—not in the individual employee file. If there is an audit, you'll want all these forms to be available in a single location, rather than each individual personnel file.

When it comes to keeping records, confidentiality and process are of the utmost concern. Follow these tips to help keep your school safe and in legal compliance.

Additional ISM Resources:
The Source for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 4 Due Diligence and Employment Practices Liability

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