Retention of HR records

HR records encompass a wide range of data relating to individuals working in an organisation, for example, pay or absence levels, hours worked and trade union agreements, which may be stored in a variety of media, such as computer databases or paper files.

It is important for all organisations to maintain effective systems for storing HR data, both to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation (for example in respect of the minimum wage or working time regulations) as well to support sound personnel administration and broader HR strategy. Our factsheet on human capital contains more details of how certain types of employee information can help identify which sort of HR or management interventions will drive business performance.

However, as detailed below, a complex regulatory regime governs the length of time for which HR records should be stored.

Login or register for a free account to continue reading this factsheet and to learn about:

• What are HR records?
• The legal position
• How this checklist of retention periods is organised
• Statutory retention periods
• Recommended (non-statutory) retention periods
• CIPD viewpoint
• Useful contacts
• Further reading