Managing Personnel Records - International Records Management ...

MANAGING PERSONNEL RECORDS
5
LESSON 1
THE CONTEXT OF PERSONNEL RECORDS
MANAGEMENT
Personnel management is an agency-wide function; it affects every department and
administrative unit within the organisation. The aim of personnel management is to
use the human resources of the organisation to best advantage. This is done by
deploying existing resources to meet current needs and developing those resources to
meet anticipated future needs. Personnel records are critical to the personnel
management function.
Lesson 1 explains the context of personnel records management. It begins by
introducing information about the nature of personnel records and their importance,
then it examines the history of modern personnel management, which can be divided
into six stages. The lesson also discusses the importance of managing public sector
personnel records in relation to the national legal requirements. It examines the role
of the stakeholder in personnel records care, and it considers changing trends in
personnel management, including the growing emphasis on ‘downsizing’ and the
increasing complexity of managing personnel records in an electronic work
environment.
THE NATURE OF PERSONNEL RECORDS
In many respects, personnel records are similar to other kinds of administrative
records and thus many of the techniques described in other modules in this series are
also applicable. However, personnel records do have special features that require
attention and that make the care of personnel records particularly important to the
organisation. Try the following activity and then read on to consider the various
special features of personnel records.
Activity 1
Before reading further in this introduction, write down as many qualities or features of
personnel records that you think might distinguish them from other types of
organisational records and that might require special attention.