Managing Personnel Records - International Records Management ...

different scenarios will have different financial implications for the individual and for
the records that need to be kept.
Records Issues
Records of any continuing financial payments should be kept by the department
responsible for pensions. The date of retirement should be noted on the personnel
file. When staff leave to take up another job, whether within the public or the private
sector, the personnel file should be retained against the eventuality that the individual
may subsequently seek re-employment. The staff list should also be amended and the
central authority informed of the change.
PENSIONERS
Pensioners have statutory rights that must be observed. It is critical, therefore, that
appropriate records be kept. Normally the pension scheme in place in the civil service
will be centrally managed through the department responsible for pensions. In
countries where there is no separate fund for civil service pensions, pensions are paid
out of government revenue. Where functions (and the requisite staff) have been
transferred to executive agencies, parastatal organisations or the local government,
these organisations may have been required to create their own pension funds. The
government then is faced with two options:
? ‘freeze’ the pension entitlement of the former civil servant and pay the pension at
retirement age
? make a contribution to the new organisation’s pension fund commensurate with
the years of service the civil servant has worked.
The second option is expensive, and often the funding is not available. Consequently
in many cases it is vital to maintain an accurate record of the pension entitlements of
former civil servants.
Records Issues
Pensions records should be kept by the office responsible for pensions. Key records
include trust deeds and rules and the minute books of the trustees of the pension
scheme. If civil servants have been transferred to newly created organisations, such
as executive agencies, special arrangements may have to be made to safeguard
records of pension entitlements.
MANAGING PERSONNEL RECORDS
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