Employment Records

POLICY

The official employee files are maintained by the Department of Human Resources.

Employee files are confidential and are to be treated as such. The University respects the employee's rights to privacy regarding their employment records. This confidence is extended to personnel files of both former and current employees. Access to employee personnel files is restricted and can only be obtained under certain conditions.

PROCEDURE

After an individual has been employed the Department of Human Resources will prepare a personnel file. Supervisors and employees may submit materials to be filed in the employee's personnel folder. Access to employee files is limited to the following:

A. Persons other than the Employee

Other employees of the University may have access to personnel files only if they have a need to know. Access is limited to:

  1. The Human Resources staff, as they need access in the course of their normal duties;
  2. The Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Officer, in the course of an investigation;
  3. Supervisors and department heads considering an employee for promotion or transfer into their department;
  4. Others as specifically authorized by the Executive Vice President or the Director of Human Resources.

Non-employees may not, except with specific authorizations have access to an employee's file. Such access would only be granted upon advice of counsel in response to a subpoena, summons, or request for information from a federal administrative or law enforcement agency. Access to outsiders to information in a file is governed by our policy on reference. In responding to a telephone reference request the University will not release employment information to third parties unless the third party has provided the University with a release signed by the employee. In the absence of a signed release the Department of Human Resources will only verify information provided by the third party.

B. The Employee

Each employee may inspect his or her own personnel file, provided a written request is made to the Department of Human Resources. Such requests must provide at least 24 hours advance notice. No materials are to be removed from the file. However an employee may request a copy of any or all contents in the file. For this service the employee is charged a small fee for photocopying.