the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

I. PERSONNEL RECORDS AND PERSONNEL FILES
Aside from the need to comply with national and state laws, the enclosed regulations dealing
with personnel records show what can and should be done to protect individuals and records
associated with their hirings, performances and related matters. Of importance in this regard is the
controlled or limited access provided to personnel recordsCwith access being restricted to the
employee. Also of importance are the prohibitions and restrictions involving examinations and
similar records.
One individual should be appointed personnel officer to oversee and perform the following
activities:
! Maintain a personnel record file for each municipal employee consisting of
substantive materials; correspondence, and records pertaining to each employee
and his or her employment. Employees should be permitted to review their
personnel records upon request; however, all personnel records, except as they
deal with compensation and benefits, must be confidential and not be a matter of
public record. An employee=s file should also include such materials as an
employee=s award certificates, employment history records, written reprimands,
commendations, and, leave record.
In accord with the Federal Wage-Hour Law, the minimum payroll records required for each
employee are:
! Name in full
! Home address
! Date of birth
! Occupation in which employed
! When the employee's work week begins
! Regular hourly rate of pay
! Hours worked each workday
! Total daily or weekly straight time earnings or wages
! Total weekly overtime excess earnings
! Total additions to or deductions from wages paid for each pay period
! Total wages paid for each pay period
! Date of wage payment and period it covered
All new employees must sign and complete necessary personnel, payroll, and benefit forms.
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