Employee Records

Date: November 2019

Policy: Human Resources maintains a personnel file for each employee of Bowdoin College. The official records of employment may be retained on paper and/or electronically (e.g. Recruit, Review, Workday, etc.) including the completed job application or resume, salary history, career progression, performance evaluations and records of disciplinary actions (if applicable).

Access to central personnel files is limited to those who maintain the files in Human Resources and those who have a legitimate need to use the material in them including the immediate supervisor, department head, senior officer, or a prospective supervisor considering an employee's internal application for a new position. Under federal law (HIPAA), an employee's personal health information must be maintained in separate files in Human Resources. Personal health information (e.g., doctor's notes, etc.) must not be maintained in the department. Additional records of employee benefits and confidential medical information such as pre-employment physical examination results, workers' compensation records, doctor's notes and certain claim forms are also kept in separate files in Human Resources and access to these files is generally limited to Human Resources staff for necessary human resource functions.

Every employee has the right to review his/her paper and electronic personnel file. To review an individual central personnel file, an employee should schedule an appointment with a member of the Human Resources staff who will be present to answer any questions about materials in the file or make copies of documents.

Personal information regarding an employee will not be released by Human Resources personnel over the phone.

Emergency contact information is maintained by employees in Workday.