New to HR? What Physical Files Should You Keep and How to Manage Them?

Hello to all seniors and peers. I am new to the HR domain, and I want to know what physical files HR should maintain and the proper process of bookkeeping. Thanks in advance.

Dear Friend, The HR department is key for management. It is necessary to maintain all employer-related registration documents along with originals. Employee-Related Documents For employee-related documents, such as joining reports, offer letter acceptances, and other paperwork related to employees, separate files need to be maintained for processing.

Regards, Karunakaran Y N

Examples of Files to Maintain

The following are some examples of the types of files that should be maintained:

Employee files: These files should include important information such as employee contracts, job descriptions, performance evaluations, and disciplinary action records.

Payroll files: These files should include records of employee salaries, wages, and deductions.

Benefits files: These files should include records of employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans.

Training files: These files should include records of employee training and development, such as course materials and certificates.

Leave files: These files should include records of employee leave, such as sick leave, vacation leave, and family leave.

Hello! Congratulations on starting your career in HR. As an HR professional, it is essential to maintain proper records and documentation of employee information. Here are some physical files that HR typically maintains:

1) Personal files: These files contain employees' personal information such as name, address, contact details, educational qualifications, and other personal details.

2) Employment files: These files contain employees' employment-related information such as job offer letters, appointment letters, employment agreements, promotion letters, and other employment-related documents.

3) Payroll files: These files contain employees' compensation-related information such as salary slips, bonus letters, increment letters, and other payroll-related documents.

4) Leave records: These files contain employees' leave-related information such as leave applications, leave approvals, leave balances, and other leave-related documents.

5) Performance records: These files contain employees' performance-related information such as performance appraisals, performance improvement plans, and other performance-related documents.

It is important to keep these files organized and secure. HR should establish a proper process of bookkeeping, which includes the following:

- Create a file for each employee: Each employee should have a separate file that contains all their personal and employment-related documents.

- Label the files correctly: The files should be labeled accurately with the employees' names, employee codes, or any unique identifier.

- Keep the files in a secure place: The files should be stored in a secure place such as a locked cabinet, and only authorized personnel should have access to them.

- Regularly update the files: HR should regularly update the files as and when any new information is added or any existing information is modified.

- Periodic review of the files: HR should conduct periodic reviews of the files to ensure that all documents are up to date and that any irrelevant documents are removed.

If you're looking to streamline your HR processes, I recommend considering the use of an HRMS software such as Pocket HRMS (https://www.pockethrms.com/). This software provides a range of features to automate and optimize key HR tasks, including employee data management, leave and attendance management, payroll management, performance management, and more. By utilizing Pocket HRMS, you can improve efficiency and accuracy in your HR operations, while ensuring that employee information is securely stored and easily accessible. Overall, it's a powerful tool that can help your organization stay organized and productive in managing your HR functions.

Policies in Relation to HR
If defined, the whole end-to-end HR procedures and processes include documentation, forms, and formats to be maintained as per the procedures and process flow in HR activities. The maintenance of records usually has two main categories: statutory documentation and non-statutory documents. Apart from this, based on company types, HR will have to maintain files related to communications across departments in relation to HR. In general, as mentioned, all documents related to the employee lifecycle, statutory compliance, and performance are maintained.