Managing Personnel Records - International Records Management ...

Where personnel records have been given a security classification, such as classified,
secret, top secret and so on, they may need to be formally declassified.
Activity 15
Explain the processes in place in your organisation at present to establish retention
periods for personnel files? Are some files transferred to the archival repository?
Who decides which files will be kept and for how long? Write a brief description of
the processes used. Then write at least three suggestions you would make to improve
the processes.
INDEX AND NAMING CONVENTIONS
If personnel files are numbered, then indexes will be required
to access the files.
An employee index can take the form of a card index or docket sheet, as described
below, or a computerised database. If index cards or sheets are used, they should
have printed headings, with sufficient space for each piece of information to be
recorded. The index should link the employee’s name to his or her number so that the
file can be found.
The information on the card or docket sheet should be arranged so files can be found
quickly and refiled accurately. The two most important items of information – the
employee’s name and the file number – should be positioned at the top of the card. A
good layout will allow a searcher to read the most useful pieces of information first
and so reduce retrieval time. The completed cards or sheets should be filed in an
index cabinet or docket book in alphabetical order by employee surname.
Naming Conventions
If the system is to work effectively, there must be standards or conventions for
recording individual names. The employee’s name should be recorded carefully and
in full. In countries where employees have one or more ‘given’ names followed by a
family or surname, it is good practice to record the surname or principal legal name
first. If possible, the index card or sheet and the file cover can be printed with a
separate box for this name, so it is easily found. Where there is no box, the name can
be underlined. The first name(s) must also be clearly distinguished, preferably also in
MANAGING PERSONNEL RECORDS
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