Employee Records Checklist for Small Business

Set up a simple, secure system for employee records: what to keep, where to keep it, who can see it, and how to keep it in order year after year.

Who it is for

• Small-business owners who handle staff paperwork themselves.

• Office managers and practice managers responsible for employee files.

• Operations and admin staff in businesses without an HR department.

• New HR staff tidying up records inherited from someone else.

The problem it solves

In many small businesses, employee information is spread across a filing cabinet, a shared drive, a payroll service, inboxes and phones. Documents go missing, health information sits in the main file, and former staff still have access to folders. This checklist gives you a records map, an access table, new hire and departure checklists and a yearly review, with filled-in examples from a small business, so you can put things in order in an afternoon and keep them that way.

What is inside

• How to use this checklist (page 1; 1 page)

• Copyright and License (page 2; 1 page)

• Guide: keeping employee records well (pages 3 to 5; 3 pages)

• Templates and checklists (pages 6 to 8; 3 pages)

• Filled-in examples (pages 9 to 10; 2 pages)

• Editable Word version of everything above (12 pages)

How to use it

1. Read the guide once to understand the kinds of records and the four handling rules.

2. Fill in the records map and the access table.

3. Check the record-keeping rules for your location and complete the "Keep for" column.

4. Use the new hire and departure checklists every time someone joins or leaves.

5. Run the yearly review to tidy up and check access.

This checklist gives general good practice only. Check the record-keeping rules for your location and your company policy; this is not legal advice.

Formats and file types

• Printable PDF (10 pages), US Letter.

• Editable Word file (.docx, 12 pages) with the records map, access table and checklists ready to fill in.

Frequently asked questions