subject: Seven Types of Employee Information Kept in HR Software [print this page] . It's just good business sense to have organized information about your employees to make decisions about training, raises, and promotions. Complete and up-to-date HR records also help protect a company against litigation. HR software is a great way to keep employee information organized. So, what type of employee information is typically kept in HR software?
There are seven main types of employee information most often kept in personnel files: Employment, Employee Information and Notes, Wage, Benefits, Training, Performance, and Separation.
The Employment section is the first part completed in an HR record and includes the employee's resume, application, background check, new hire orientation checklist, and offer letter.
It's helpful to keep basic miscellaneous Employee Information and Notes, such as name, address, phone number, hire date, birth date, position, department, manager, and emergency contacts handy in case you should ever need to get in contact with the employee or their emergency contact.
The Wage section of personnel files includes wage rates, bonuses, and compensation history. It may also include payroll information, such as the W-4 form, tax exemptions, and paycheck garnishment details.
The Benefits section of HR records includes time-off accruals, such as vacation and sick time, health insurance, retirement plan enrollment, and any other type of employee benefits your company offers its employees.
The Training section of personnel files include a list of training classes and courses an employee has attended and completed. It also includes certification and license information like CPR and First Aid certifications and drivers license data. HR software may have a reminders system that will alert you in advance of the certification and license expiration dates to help make sure they are kept current.
The Performance section of HR records includes the actual performance evaluation forms, as well as disciplinary warnings and awards.
The Separation section of a personnel file is completed when an employee leaves the company. It includes notes regarding the exit interview, reasons why the employee left the company, the last day worked, and any COBRA elections. You can also follow a separation checklist (similar to a new hire checklist) to help remember the garnishment notification, to check in equipment and any other necessary steps that are needed when an employee leaves the company.
These are the types of employee information you should keep in a personnel file. You should also be aware of a couple things to keep out of a personnel file. I-9s should be kept together on their own and not in individual employee records. It's important to do internal audits of I-9s to make sure they are updated and completed entirely since a company can incur fines as a penalty if a government official discovers errors or missing pertinent information during their audit of your I-9 records. Medical records should also be kept out of personnel files because they could be viewed as means of discrimination against an employee.
Hopefully, this helps you decide what to keep in (and out) of your company's personnel files. Another thing that would be helpful is to keep the employee information in HR software.
Seven Types of Employee Information Kept in HR Software
