Missing Employee Records - Employee Says He Had Submited.

Hi all,

I emailed one of my employees that we do not have any of his records (personal file) in the HR department. However, he replied back to me saying that he had already submitted the documents. Despite this, we still do not have any of his records.

What should I reply?

Hi Ritika, you can ask him to submit it once again as you are going to update your records. You are in HR, so you have the right to ask for it multiple times because you did not provide any acknowledgment to him. Be brave and ask him once again to submit the same.

Yes, you can ask him once again and give acknowledgment for that document. There is nothing wrong with asking again.

Hi Ritika,

You are within your rights. Just let the person know that you are in the process of updating the details. Yes, you can ask for a fresh copy of the same.

Mark an email to him with a copy to his boss/your boss, and in the subject line, state "Details Required Within the Next 2 Days." This should help. Tell him that even if he has submitted in the past, you only require it for updating and storage.

Hi Ritika,

The same situation arises in our concern as well. We sent an email regarding audit purposes and verification, requesting all the below-mentioned documents urgently. Please cc his direct reporting boss.

Just maintain a friendly attitude and collect the necessary documents.

Thank you.

Meet with that employee personally and politely instruct them to submit the documents in the specified manner to ensure their compliance. I believe this is a minor issue that does not warrant an email. As HR personnel, we should be able to comprehend the nature of the employee and adjust our approach accordingly.

Probably, the records have been misplaced or lost by the HR. I suggest using a different approach; kindly request the employee to resubmit the documents and provide the reason for the request.

Thanks,
Richa

Hi Ritika,

I think in most cases, when a personal file of an employee is maintained by the HR department of an organization, only the true copies of relevant documents from the employee are requested. If at any point the file is misplaced, lost, or not submitted by the employee, you may ask her to resend the required details. I believe she should not take it the wrong way and should understand the concern. Am I right?

Maneesh

You can politely ask the employee to submit the required documents again. It's a trivial issue, and you, as an HR personnel, have every right to ask for it.

Thanks,
Jyotu

You can politely ask the employee to submit the required documents again. It's a trivial issue, and you, as an HR personnel, have all the right to ask for it.

Thanks,
Jyoti

As an HR professional, you should be brave enough to ask for details about employees multiple times. There is nothing wrong with asking again.

Hi,

The following points are solutions to your problem:

1. You can collect these documents once again from the employee.
2. For confirmation of the date of joining, please refer to his PF Declaration Forms or Form 3A submitted earlier. Also, if he is covered under ESI, then you have to refer to his ESI Card to get his Date of Joining.
3. In case you don't have any documents related to his Date of Joining, please refer to his salary paid details with the Accounts Department. From that period, you can assume the date and input it.
4. If it is a factory, you should obtain FORM 25 & Gratuity Form "F" freshly from the employee.

First of all, the major thing in this issue is to confirm the employee's date of joining. Once you confirm the Date of Joining, you can collect fresh documents from the employee.

So, simply email him to submit the documents once again and place all of these in the file.

If you need any further clarification, please contact me.

BHARATH DWAJH .A.S.
Mobile: 9902949491
Email: bharathas1983@gmail.com

Ms. Ritika,

The employee states that he has already submitted all papers, and it seems you are not in a position to deny that. The only option for you is to apologize to him, inform him that the papers are misplaced, and ask him to provide copies once more for HR Records.

• I do not agree with a fellow member's suggestion that you can harass employees by repeatedly asking for the same papers under the guise of Audit, Records Updation, etc. Employees are not fools; they very well understand your mistakes and inefficiencies. By engaging in such practices, the HR Fraternity is degrading itself in the eyes of its employees.

• Establish a foolproof system for onboarding. Prepare and file a duly signed 'Joining Checklist' in Personal Files at the time of joining itself. Ensure that you request all necessary documents at the time of joining, eliminating the need for further requests.

Thanks & Regards

Dear employees,

Please submit all your updated records as soon as possible. We require them for updating purposes.

As an HR professional, use your skills to effectively communicate and persuade others with power.

With regards,
Priyatosh

I completely agree with you. Just because HR did not maintain the docs. properly, that doesn't mean that the employees have to keep on re-submitting the docs. as per HR demands.

You can direct him to submit the documents afresh. I would advise you to check the personal files of other employees as well. In case there are many files in which documents are missing, then you can design a personal information form containing columns for all the information desired or required by you and circulate one form to each individual employee with the instructions to fill all the columns and return the form within a specified period. Make sure that each employee puts his signature at the end of the form. This is well within your rights, and this way, personal files would also get updated.

There are 2 possibilities: 1) Previous HR or somebody else would have misplaced documents (How come HR issued appointment order and completed joining formalities without verifying documents?). 2) Employee would have agreed to produce it later but not given for verification.

But from your post, one thing is sure, you may need to revisit the HR processes immediately, especially joining formalities. If you have HRMS, verify documents and update all employee information in the system on the first day of joining itself.

Dear Sir,

I fully endorse your views. It is the incompetency and casual approach of HR that results in such situations. Instead of apologizing to the concerned employee and requesting documents anew, HR professionals are suggesting that HR has the right to repeatedly ask employees for documents. This callous and insensitive attitude is what makes HR unpopular and causes employees at large to harbor negative feelings toward HR.

Personal files of employees should be meticulously maintained, with all volumes and pages numbered sequentially. A gist of the contents, with a copy placed separately in the Chief HR's office, should be pasted on the inside cover of the files, along with having soft copies in the HRMS system.

Warm regards.

Recently, I'm facing an interview regarding the warehouse and logistics sector. The interviewer asked me, "How do you control your warehouse while sitting in your chair?" For example, he mentioned that if a store person came to you and reported that a SKU is missing from your warehouse, as a logistics manager, you know that the particular SKU is in the proper position. How would you verify this without physically going to the warehouse?

Kindly suggest to me.

Thanks & Regards,
Ranajoy
ranajoy_d@hotmail.com

Dear Ranajoy,

Your question pertains to Supply Chain and Logistic Management, not HR. You have posted the query here, perhaps thinking that since HR people conduct job interviews, they can/should answer the query.

I have sufficient domain knowledge to recommend the following response to the interview question.

If the Logistics/Supply Chain manager is maintaining a Computerized Inventory Management system, then at any point in time, he will know the exact quantity of an item, as all receipts and issued materials are updated in real-time.

But if somebody tells you that some SKUs are missing, then without going to the warehouse and checking it physically, you can ascertain the position sitting from your chair by calling the storekeeper on the phone, telling him the item code, location or bin numbers, and the quantity in stock (taken from your system), and ask him to ascertain the existing quantity.

If there is a shortfall, it can be attributed to errors in issue or receipt, or pilferage/theft.

Issue a show-cause notice (SCN) to the storekeeper, in consultation with HR, while keeping your superiors informed.

Warm regards.