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With year-end and first-of-the-year goals out of the way and a lull between holidays, there’s no better time for some HR spring cleaning. As many experts in tidying up and clearing clutter will tell you, a clean space with room for movement (both physical and psychological) will boost productivity and just make people feel better.
You may be low on time, or you might feel ready to embrace some serious reorganization. Depending on the number of hours available, consider mixing and matching the following spring-cleaning options, from quickest to most comprehensive.
Do a walk-through of the workplace
Ensure that pathways are clear and free of tripping or falling hazards. This may mean finding storage for unused furniture, breaking down boxes, or finding a system to organize supplies.
Set aside 30 to 90 minutes for employees to tidy up their work areas
Ask them to recycle or shred documents they no longer need, give their filing cabinet or desk drawers a once-over, clean up unruly cables, and wipe everything down.
Take an inventory of things that need to be fixed
Start tackling it from most to least important. This might include a broken lock on a bathroom door, dirty walls, carpet stains, broken office chairs, fraying uniforms, mismatched name tags, or malfunctioning computer equipment.
Clean up HR files
Often in the day-to-day rush, a document will just get stuffed into the middle of a file. Take time to go through and file documents in the right places, whether that’s a specific section of the file a document is already in or a different file entirely. A little maintenance on a regular basis can go a long way, especially if you receive an unexpected request for documentation, whether from a former employee, an attorney, or the state or federal Department of Labor. Here is the organization system that we recommend:
I-9 file
Keep all Form I-9s in a separate master file or three-ring binder.
Medical file
This file should contain everything related to an employee’s medical history, including health insurance enrollment forms. It’s important to separate this file because you cannot legally base personnel decisions, such as who gets promoted and who doesn’t, on an individual’s medical history. In addition, various privacy laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require that you keep confidential employee medical records separate from basic personnel files. The retention period will depend on the type of record.
Personnel file
This file should contain items that were a factor in the employee’s hiring and employment in addition to items that will have any impact on their employment in the future. This includes performance reviews and corrective action records.
Payroll records file
This file should contain the employee’s W-4 and any other payroll-related documents containing the employee’s SSN or other protected information, including garnishments.
Injury file
Keep a file for any employee who is injured while on the job. This file should contain workers’ compensation claim records and injury reports, and any additional medical records pertaining to the injury. It’s okay to start this file only if an employee suffers an injury on the job.
These files should be kept in a secure location that is only accessible to those in the HR function or with a legitimate need to review the information — for instance, in locked cabinets in a locked HR office. This information can be stored electronically if that makes more sense for your business. Just ensure that it’s backed up to prevent data loss, and well-secured.
Looking for other helpful HR tips, guides, templates, and more? GTM offers two levels of HR services – take a look and see what’s right for you, then contact us with any questions, or request a free quote.
