How to Create a Personnel File Checklist in 7 Easy Steps
By Pekin Insurance · Dec 29, 2020 ·1 min read
1. Start With Employment Documentation and Relationship Statuses
- Job application, resume, and cover letter
- Employment verification and signed offer letters
- Emergency contact information
- Performance assessments, evaluations, and more
- Compensation information and IRS withholding documents
- Termination forms and a transcription of the exit interview if one is conducted
2. Figure Out What Not to Include
- Medical records or related documents protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These would go in a separate medical file for the employee.
- Confidential human resources investigation information or complaints
- Background checks, reference checks, criminal histories, and credit reports
- Social Security numbers
- Employee benefits forms
- Employment verification and signed offer letters
3. Order Your Checklist Like a Table of Contents
4. Simplify as Much as Possible
- Try to keep the checklist on one page, if possible.
- Use as few words as possible.
- Make it visually clean with checkboxes and bullet points.
- Make it easy to change the form or update it with new information.
- Leave it flexible.
5. Update for Policy Changes and New Material
Revise your checklist when new policies arrive, and keep a watchful eye for state legislature changes to employment records requirements.
If you keep physical records, store them in fire-resistant cabinets. You don’t want to lose these files to a workplace fire!