Adams & Garth Blog

As a Staunton staffing agency, we understand that maintaining personnel files is often a difficult and tedious task. However, having accurate information on your employees simply makes good business sense. In addition, you may encounter instances, such as an IRS audit or a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled employee, when you need to quickly produce information and documentation on that employee – making these files critically important.

So what should you keep in your employees’ personnel files? Here are some recommendations.

What to Keep in Personnel Files

Create a file for each employee on his or her date of hire and include information such as:

• Job application and/or resume
• Reference letters
• Job offer letter and information
• Contracts (including any non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements)
• Salary and benefits forms and information (health insurance, retirement benefits, etc.)
• Job description for the position
• IRS W-4 form
• Acknowledgement of the employee handbook (if you have a handbook)
• Emergency contacts
• Performance appraisals
• Complaints from customers and co-workers
• Disciplinary action, including warnings
• Awards, recognitions, and/or promotions
• Records on attendance issues
• Records of certifications or completion of training programs
• Documents relating to an employee’s departure, including information garnered from an exit interview, termination or lay off notices, COBRA information, and unemployment forms

Just a note: Considering the sensitive nature of the information contained in these files, it’s important to keep them locked in a fire-proof file cabinet.

What Not to Include

While there are plenty of documents that should be in every personnel file, there are certain items you will want to avoid including, such as the following:

I-9 forms.

These should be kept in a separate folder set aside for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, should they come calling. The government can ask to inspect these forms at any time and you don’t want them to also be able to access the rest of your employees’ personnel files in the process.

Medical records.

If a disability occurs, you are required by law to keep that employee’s medical records in a separate file with limited access. In addition, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires careful handling of any information obtained through post-offer medical examinations, including that these records must be kept separate and confidential from other personnel files.

Unnecessary personal notes.

Don’t include any notes that are unrelated to the employee’s job performance or qualifications, such as your personal feelings about an employee or references to their private life, such as religious beliefs. If a lawsuit is ever filed, these notes could come back to haunt you in the end.

When maintaining personnel files, it’s also important to periodically review each employee’s file to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date. For instance, if a new hire has successfully completed their probationary period or an employee received a promotion, you’ll want to make a note of those events.

And if you need some help managing your employees, and all the paperwork that comes along with them, please contact Adams & Garth. As one of the leading Staunton staffing agencies, we offer a payrolling solution that allows you to recruit and identify candidates, while payroll for those employees is handled by us, eliminating the associated hassles, headaches, and liabilities. Contact us today to learn more!

Some people seem to be able to make more money, get promoted faster, and become the “go to” person at their company regardless of the economy. Why is that? And what can you do to consistently achieve success? Here’s some insight:

Add value.
This is the most powerful trait an employee can possess. This means that instead of fixing that filing error, you will actually create a new filing system that helps to avoid future mistakes.

You also need to become the person that your boss knows they can hand a task off to and that you will complete that task accurately and on time, with no loose ends.

Become an expert.
Whether it’s reading an industry journal every week, or going to school to earn an MBA, it’s important to always be learning. So, ask yourself, what subject can you become an expert in for your employer?

Also, make sure your boss knows about your endeavors so that you’re rewarded appropriately at your next performance review.

Be consistent.
Be on time to work everyday. Be consistent in your performance. Be there for your employer. He or she will take notice.

Maintain a positive attitude.
A successful person sees an opportunity where someone else might see a problem. A negative attitude can be limiting, so try to maintain a positive attitude at work, no matter how tough things get. Positive words can be very powerful when communicating with your boss and co-workers.

The bottom line is that by following these tips, you can make yourself more valuable to your employer – which could lead to a bigger raise or faster promotions at your job.

If you’re currently looking for work, we want to know! As a Central Virginia staffing agency, we help candidates from Culpeper and Staunton to Harrisonburg and Lynchburg find rewarding job opportunities. And we’d like to help you.

Take a look at our current openings or contact us today to learn more.

Could your business benefit from a more flexible workforce? For many Central Virginia companies, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

The fact of the matter is that using temporary employees is a great way to improve productivity, manage increases in workload, and cover for any sick or vacation time that your full-time employees may take – all without increasing your fixed expenses.

So how can you maximize the efficiency and productivity of your temporary employees? The following tips can help:

Tip #1: Determine the required skills.
Meet with managers and those who will be working with the temporary employee to determine which skills are ideal for the position you are trying to fill. You’ll also want to develop a list of duties and responsibilities for the temporary employee. This information will help your staffing agency find the best possible person for you.

Tip #2: Work with a staffing agency that has experience in your industry.
Not only will an experienced staffing agency know where to look to find the right person, but they will also be able to help you determine things like an appropriate pay rate for a particular position.

Tip #3: Prepare an orientation guide.
Include information such as working hours, breaks and lunch schedules, any safety regulations or company rules, and contact information for direct supervisors. You may also want to assign a core staff member or supervisor to help orient the temporary employee.

Tip #4: Use any orientation information provided by your staffing agency.
Many staffing agencies can offer some insightful guidance on how to best bring temporary employees up to speed so they can hit the ground running.

Tip #5: Open the lines of communication.
Encourage the temporary employee to ask questions and make sure they know who to direct those questions to – whether it’s you or one of your managers.

Tip #6: Monitor progress regularly.
Be sure to monitor the progress of your temporary employee frequently to ensure they’re on top of the job.

Bringing a temporary employee on board at your company can offer a host of benefits – as long as that employee is managed properly. And you never know. They may even become a great candidate for a full-time opening.

If you’re interested in hiring temporary employees or just want to learn more about how temporary employees can help your company, contact Adams & Garth. As Central Virginia’s leading staffing agency, we can deliver the flexible staff you need without increasing your permanent workforce. You can learn more about our temporary staffing services here.