It’s the week between Christmas and New Years. You may be still be overdosed on food, family, friends, and festivities. This week is kind of a fog in most offices. So what could we do that wouldn’t require too much?
We shred. Make it rain paper! Take out those old personnel and recruitment files, and get the little delight as several sharp blades chew through now irrelevant information to make more room in your soon-to-be irrelevant file cabinets.
What could you get rid of? You can probably get rid of a lot. First, check your document retention policy. If HR does not have one, check with your Finance or Accounting group. They might have one that covers your files too. If you have a policy, follow that.
Second, if you don’t have a policy, determine what record retention laws apply to you. If your organization is a federal or state contractor, your records are covered by different laws and regulations. For example, the EEOC regulations require employers to retain recruitment records for one year, but the OFCCP requires recruitment records to be retained for two years. State law may have additional requirements for you as well.
Third, prepare to shred. Put all the payroll records that are more than four years’ old in one pile, the personnel files of employees long since departed from your organization, and the old copies of employee handbooks in separate piles.
Lastly, find your shredder and giant garbage bags. Order a pizza. Pretend you are a group of roadies preparing for a concert. Make the confetti. It’s fun!
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