Records used in the Human Resource Office

1. RECORDS USED IN THE
HUMAN RESOURCE
OFFICE
Section 8
Objective 4
ACF Global Consulting
TRANING SPECIALISTS

2. INTRODUCTION
• Personnel records are very important because they contain
vital information about employees. For this reason they
must be accurate. It is also important that they are
checked regularly to ensure they are correct and that the
employee agrees with what is recorded.
• Clerks in the human resource office undertake the
compilation of the information. It is therefore important
that documentation is kept in an organised manner.

3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PERSONNEL RECORDS
Contract of employment
Service records
Types of leave
Personal history/records
Appraisal forms
Job description
Job specification

4. Contract of Employment
• This is a formal agreement about the job that states
the terms and conditions that will apply. Once it is
signed by both employer and employee it becomes
legally binding and both parties have to abide by its
terms.

5. Service Records
• A service record is prepared on paper or in an
electronic form on the computer. It details certain
personal information on an employee together with
details of his/her employment service from the date
of employment. This includes positions held, salary
and the period at a particular position.

6. Types of Leave
• All employees will be allowed a set number of annual leave days
for a vacation, often plus statutory and local holidays, normally
with pay. Employees may also request time off for:
– Sick leave
– Maternity, paternity or adoption leave
– Compassionate leave
– Unpaid leave
– Time off in lieu
– Study leave

7. Personal history/records
• This document will contain the history of a person’s
employment at a particular firm. It will include
details from service, leave, appraisal and
disciplinary records.

8. Appraisal forms
• Appraisals forms are used to assess an employee
during training and employment. The assessment can
be done periodically.
• It summarises the actions the employee has agreed to
take before the next appraisal. Appraisals also
determine whether the worker needs to be
trained/retrained or deployed.

9. Job description
• This document list the main elements of a job and
the duties of the job holder. This will give the
employee more insight into task and
responsibilities of a job.

10. Job specification
• This is a document that specifies the kind of person
who is required for a particular job (qualifications,
knowledge, skills, experience and health
conditions) and describes the job functions.
• These are usually stated as essential and desirable
requirements.

11. CONCLUSION
• Proper record keeping in the human resource
office is essential to carry out basic functions in
the organisation.
• Staff should be adequately trained in the
management and maintenance of record keeping
to ensure efficiency of information in the business.

12. REFERENCES
• Carysforth, C. et al (2012). Office Administration for CSEC – A
Caribbean Examinations Council Study Guide, Nelson Thornes
UK.
• Heathfield, S (2018). The Importance of Documentation in
Human Resources. Retrieved from
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/documentation-1918096
• Ramtahal, F. (2013). Office Administration, (2nd ed.) Caribbean
Educational Publishers Trinidad.