July 8, 2019

While there is a relative lull in HR-related due dates this summer, why not consider taking on a project?  One that our attorneys highly recommend and one that strikes fear in the hearts of many, is getting your records retention policy established and then pulling a major “Marie Kondo” act on those old personnel records.  If you are one of those companies that has dusty I-9 forms and applications from the 1980s still floating around in some metal file cabinet somewhere, then this is a must.  Holding onto these records not only takes up precious cabinet space, but if a government agency (perhaps the Department of Labor or ICE) comes knocking on your door demanding to see records, why give them more years of records to snoop through?  Most employee records should be retained for three years after termination of employment.  However, some records should be kept longer.  For example, USERRA Leave Reports should be kept permanently, certain pension forms should be kept for 50 years and records relating to payroll should be maintained for a period of 4 years.  If you need help drafting a record retention policy or would like to know how long to keep certain records or whether a certain record sparks joy, contact one of our attorneys at myHRcounsel today.