Keep the right staff records
Benefits of keeping the right staff records
To comply with the law, you should keep records on:
- hours worked - to meet the requirements of the Working Time
Regulations
- pay rates - to meet the statutory requirement to issue workers
with pay statements and to help you ensure you meet the requirements
of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998
- tax and National Insurance - for HM Revenue & Customs
- holidays - to comply with the Working Time Regulations
- sickness of more than four days and how much Statutory Sick
Pay you have paid
accidents, injuries and dangerous occurrences - to meet health
and safety requirements
- accounting data
- crime prevention information
- pensions data
- mortgage or insurance administration
Keeping records on your staff beyond those required by law can
help you make more informed decisions about personnel
policies, such as recruitment, training, equal opportunities, staff
development, dismissal and promotion. Inadequate records can lead
to problems when dealing with absence levels, labour turnover, sickness,
lateness and discipline.
You should also bear in mind that, according to the principles
of the Data Protection Act, any personal information you keep on
your staff should be adequate, relevant and not excessive. Download
guidance for small businesses on how to deal with the Data Protection
Act from the Information Commissioner website (PDF).
It is also a good idea to keep records of:
- personal details - name, address, emergency contact, qualifications,
work-relevant disability
- employment history - date employment began, promotions, job
title(s)
- details of terms and conditions - including a copy of each employee's
employment contract
- absence details - records of lateness, sickness, and any other
authorised or unauthorised absences
- training and appraisals
- meetings with trade unions/employee representatives
- disciplinary action
- termination of employments and redundancy consultations - to
show you have complied with redundancy legislation and provide
evidence to defend claims made against you
Keeping accurate records will help you assess the performance
and productivity of employees and match staff resources
with production or service requirements. It may also help you to
avoid potential disputes with employees and help you to ensure that
you respect equal opportunities and treat everyone consistently
and fairly.
Subjects covered in this guide
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