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common forms ALL FORMS Benefits Enrollment/Change Form (FT/PT) CBSA DCRA Claim Form Disability Self-Identification - Employees Disability Self-Identification - Students EBDS Claim Form FMLA Leave Application ID Cards for Family Members Request New SRA Salary Reduction Agreement Performance Improvement Plan Performance Review Form Position Description Guidelines SRA Online Student Certification/Verification TIAA-CREF GRA Enrollment Application TIAA-CREF GSRA Enrollment Application Tuition Benefits for Children Application Tuition Benefits for Staff Application Vanguard Enrollment/Change Form Workers' Comp Supervisor Injury Report

• Employment Resources
• Hiring Process
• Orienting New Staff
• Employee Relations Issues
  • Drug and Alcohol Testing
  • Protected Health Information
  • Paid Time Off
  • Personnel Record Keeping
  • Progressive Discipline
  • Separation/Termination
• Partnering for Performance
• HR Managers

Personnel Record Keeping

Personnel records are the property of the university and should be inventoried and managed like any other university asset. As a manager of the university, it is your responsibility to maintain a personnel record for each of your employees. The Personnel Record Checklist can help you to ensure that each individual who reports to you has a complete personnel record.

Accessibility

Current staff members may review their personnel record by making an appointment with Human Resources. Appointments are scheduled any business day between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Human Resources office located in Whitfield Hall. Identification will be requested to safeguard your file against possible access by an unauthorized person. Former staff members may review their personnel record up to six months after their termination date by making an appointment with Human Resources.

Confidentiality

University personnel records are confidential to the employee and the university. They will not ordinarily be released to anyone outside the university unless the employee supplies a notarized written statement releasing the record (or a part of it), or unless required by law. Personnel records should be kept in a secured, locked area.

What to Keep in a Personnel Record

The following documents should be a part of an employee’s personnel record:

• Signed and dated offer letter
• Wage or salary information
• Notices of commendation, warning or discipline
• Performance evaluations and reviews
• Attendance and Paid Time Off records
• Changes in job title, job description, job classification or supervisor

The following documents should not be a part of an employee’s personnel record and must be maintained separately by the university’s Benefits and Payroll departments’ respectively:

• Benefits information
• Medical information or doctor's notes
• Authorization for deduction or withholding of pay
• The I-9 Form and supporting documentation
• W-4 Form or other tax forms
• Internal or external investigations/claims of any kind

Information is added to personnel records as required. Employee may add to their personnel record if they chose to do so.

Removing Items from a Record

At the written request of an employee, records of disciplinary actions (e.g., warnings, notices of suspension or probation) that are more than three years old may be removed from the employee’s personnel record. Requests may be made to the Human Resources department.

© Carnegie Mellon Human Resources 2004