The Office of Human Resources maintains personnel files for staff which include application for employment or application letters, confidential letters of recommendation, and background checks, if applicable. The human resources files will also include letters of appointment,  salary,  benefits, non-medical leave records, disciplinary documentation, conflict-resolution records, and any other employment-related records. The Provost’s Office maintains personnel files for faculty. Personnel files should not be maintained by other individual departments.

Access to the personnel file in the Office of Human Resources is limited to those individuals who need access for the purposes for which the file is maintained. This includes the President, provost, senior vice president for administration and finance, and human resources, as authorized by the Associate Vice President or Director of Human Resources. Access may also be permitted where required by law, such as where ordered by a court or in connection with a government agency review.

Employees may request, in writing, permission to review the contents of their own personnel file. This request must be made at least 24 hours prior to reviewing the file to allow time for Human Resources to remove confidential letters of recommendation and certain other confidential records from the file. The file must be examined in the Office of Human Resources in the presence of a staff member, and it may not be removed. If an employee requests copies of any non-confidential documents in the file, these will be made available for them.  The employee may request a discussion of the accuracy of any documents in the file. If the Director of Human Resources and employee agree that any document is inaccurate, largely or in whole, that document may be removed or corrected.

If the director of human resources and the employee do not agree, the employee may include in the record a statement reflecting the employee’s position. This statement must be submitted to human resources no later than five working days after the meeting with the director of human resources.

The director of human resources will insert into the file a signed and dated summary of the discussion and its outcome and notify the person who submitted the disputed document, provided such person is still in a position that relates to the matter in question.

Because it is essential that an employee’s information is kept updated, they  are requested to regularly review Workday information and provide any updates within five days of a change. This may include:

• Change in legal name
• Change of residence address or telephone number
• Change in social security number
• Change in marital status/dependents (only if relevant to participation in College benefit plans)
• Change in the number of exemptions claimed for income-tax withholding purposes
• Change of designated individual to be notified in case of emergency

Privacy of Certain Employee Information

The College takes precautions to prevent the disclosure of personnel and payroll information unless an employee has provided the College with written authorization to do so. With respect to requests for information from prospective employers or creditors, the general policy is to respond only to written requests and to provide only the dates of employment and positions held unless the employee has given HR/the College specific written authorization to do otherwise.

The College  will, however, confirm for prospective creditors who make inquiries via telephone the most recent or last rate of compensation of an employee provided they have given this information to the prospective creditor.