28 June 2023
HR documentation compliance: what is it?
Some questions that come up when compliance is in question:
How long are my HR documents good for?
What is it that we consider when we say documentation needs to be updated? Why do we say this ?
Effective HR document management involves not only creating and organising essential documents but also understanding when and when not to use them. Developing a clear strategy for handling HR documents is crucial to ensure compliance, safeguard sensitive information, and streamline record-keeping processes.
Think of this as like an expiry date for your products. Knowing when to use what and when is just as critical as the documents themselves. There are certain things that you legally need to give your Employees and this is underpinned by knowing what to do and when.
Develop comprehensive document retention policies that outline the specific periods for retaining different types of HR documents. When will they be reviewed, who will review them and who is responsible for making changes if necessary?
Consider how the documents are used too if there are hard copies of documents around. These need to be updated to reflect the new ones—how can you track copies of these?
HR documents hold sensitive information requiring safeguarding against unauthorised access. Implement robust security measures for storing and accessing HR documents, whether in physical or electronic form. Utilise secure servers, password protection, encryption, and access controls to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the records. Establish protocols for granting access to authorized personnel only, while regularly reviewing and updating access privileges as needed. Your employees need to know that their information is safe.
When it comes to disposing of HR documents, it is essential to follow proper procedures to mitigate privacy risks and ensure compliance. Develop a document disposal policy that outlines the approved methods of destruction, such as shredding physical documents or secure deletion of electronic files. Document the disposal process, outlining the responsible party for oversight and the method of documentation to uphold an audit trail.
Regularly conduct internal audits to assess the effectiveness of your HR documents. If you don’t have a full suite of documents, how are you going to close the gaps? What is missing, and how long has it been missing for? Have you also confirmed that you have a full suite of documents back from your employees? If not, it might be time to back-fill some of those items.
Employment Law in Australia is fast changing and one of the most complex in the world. There have been several changes in the last year alone, so if you are not reviewing your documents regularly (we mean yearly!) then you may be doing yourself an injustice in the first place.
If a clause in a contract is no longer applicable, and there is more than one, it makes it really hard to enforce if majority of it is null and void. If you reference incorrect legislation or if the legislation has been updated or amended, you can inadvertently find yourself in trouble, just as with policies.
This is where Now Actually can help. We monitor all the legislation changes for you. We update our documents, and we are front-runners in the HR space. Let us work with you to provide you with this assurance. We can partner with you to enable you to have the best functioning HR department that you can.
Reach out to us or email us at [email protected].
