The Hard Truth. HR recordkeeping is not an easy task. Why? Because aside from the tons of paper works involved, there are so many requirements that one has to fulfill.

In the United States for instance, there are several employment laws (national and local) governing the workforce — from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA.

Each of these laws enforces strict HR recordkeeping rules to all private companies.

And oh! Did I mention that local state laws other requirements too?

The Benefits of HR Recordkeeping

We can’t deny that keeping up to date records of every HR process is complex and time consuming. However, if we overlook the negatives, we can see that there are a host of benefits too!

1. You comply with federal and state laws which, obviously, keeps you away from trouble with the authorities. For example, a documentation detailing equal employment practices show that the company is following the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

2. Accurate and well-organized records are great resources in the future. HR recordkeeping is also helpful in supporting and documenting the company’s employment actions.

3. Records also provide hard data which is critical in assessing how effective your HR policies and procedures are. For instance, keeping a record of workplace accidents can help HR to pinpoint the causes and develop ways to prevent them from happening again in the future.

4. Hard records are also essential in defending and driving HR decisions. They’re helpful against lawsuits too!

According to Charles “Trey” Wichmann of Winston and Strawn, LLP and Allen Kato of Fenwick and West, LLP, both have years of experience in practicing employment law, responsible and effective HR recordkeeping practices begin before a potential hire walks into the office and extend long after the employee leaves the company.

BLR outlines their recordkeeping approach in their special report, Critical HR Recordkeeping: From Hiring to Termination. You can read about it below.

Kaspars.