The best way to protect against records-related lawsuits? Know the law—and follow it.

This powerful CD resource is your comprehensive guide to records you must keep and posters you must display.

Dear Colleague:

Which employee records must you create and keep?

How do you keep all those records secure and private? Are the rules different for paper and electronic records?

How long must you keep records? When is it preferable to get rid of them? Do the rules change if litigation is underway or on the horizon?

Keeping proper employee records is one of those thankless tasks that must be done and must be done right. But it needn’t be difficult, thanks to the Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements.

In one generous CD-based resource, we’ve rounded up the state and federal requirements you most need to know, along with helpful analysis and guidance. So you can:

• Search for record-keeping requirements by function (hiring, termination, benefits, etc.) or by digging deep into a specific law

• Set up an effective record-retention system

• Know what to do when federal and state regulations overlap or contradict each other

• Take the right steps to keep private files private

• Know when and where you must post information for employees to see

• Know which personnel files an employee is entitled to see, how often, and if the employee can make copies.

This powerful tool is also easy to use. The CD gives you a wealth of content with easy navigation. You can zoom to a specific subject.

The Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements kicks off with a lively section on “The Nuts and Bolts of Legal Record-Keeping.” This alone is worth the purchase price.

Proper record-keeping is the law. Non-compliance can lead to a hefty fine. Worse, it could mean defeat in the case of a legal dispute.

A court, arbitrator, or state or federal agency may investigate not only your records themselves, but also your record-keeping system. If your records are improper or incomplete, or your system is iffy, you look guilty.

Why risk it? The Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements shows you how to do records right, starting with the nuts and bolts of record-keeping itself. The first section of the guide addresses:

• 7 steps for effective overall record-keeping. A proper system is doubly important: for complying with the law, and for making it easy to find whatever you need whenever you need it.

• 3 different files you should keep for each employee. Including a 14-point checklist for that all-important personal file, so nothing falls through the cracks.

• How long you must keep records. A generous chart lists dozens of records from A to W (Accommodation Requests to Written Training Agreements) and the mandatory retention period for each.

• How to build privacy concerns into your record-keeping. Includes 5 factors to consider and 8 helpful suggestions from the Privacy Practice Study Committee.

• Which records should be tossed. Knowing what to get rid of, and when, is as important as knowing what to keep and for how long. Because the more you hold on to, the greater the risk of information falling into the wrong hands.

• Electronic records retention. As if paper record-keeping wasn’t enough of a challenge! Retention and destruction of data has its own set of rules. Includes 5 tips for taming the email beast.

• Special considerations with litigation. The law says if you “reasonably anticipate” a legal action, you must put a litigation hold on records destruction. Failure could tip the legal scales against you and lead to fines of $10,000... $75,000... the sky’s the limit. The guide gives you 5 simple steps to take and 9 illuminating case studies to review.

You’ll also discover how to set up a system to monitor your system. That may sound redundant, but it’s vital.

Equaling more than 600 printed pages, the Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements helps you truly understand the hows and whys of compliance.

Now for the meat-and-potatoes of the guide: the record-keeping requirements themselves. It starts with federal requirements by subject, including:

• Benefits
• Discrimination
• Hiring
• Leave
• Medical
• Miscellaneous
• Payroll
• Personnel
• Safety and health
• Termination
• Testing

In addition, you’ll discover a feature called Recommended Records: items not required by law but wise to retain anyway, to reduce your liability.

That’s just the beginning. You’ll also find:

• Federal record-keeping requirements by act and by law. So you can dive deep when needed.

• State record-keeping requirements. Yes, another layer of legality and bureaucracy. Use the guide to make compliance as painless as possible.

• Federal posting requirements by act. How you must notify employees of their legal rights. Violating these rules can support discrimination claims against you.

• State posting requirements. Make sure you’re in compliance here as well, whether or not your state’s requirements overlap federal requirements. Avoid fines that can run upwards of $7,500.

• Personnel file access laws by state. Even if your state has no such laws, it’s wise to have an access policy. The guide gives you the guidelines.

• Records and reporting for new hires. These requirements address federal concerns about welfare reform and state concerns about child support. Should you use the new hire’s W-4 or would an equivalent form be better? Consult the guide.

• Service letter statutes. For the states that require employers to provide these to former employees on request.

It’s a good thing this comprehensive resource is on CD instead of in print—you’d break your back carrying such a book!

We saved the best—or should we say the worst?—for last: identity theft. Don’t worry, the guide has you covered.

It’s bad enough that identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes. Even worse, studies have shown that up to 70% of identity theft occurs in the workplace.

That puts even more of a burden on employers to protect employee data, from safeguarding it while in the company’s possession to reliable destruction (not just disposal) when the time comes.

The guide gives you case studies that illustrate the huge liability, plus tips for stopping the theft. The guide also debunks two big data-breach myths:

• Myth #1: Dishonest employees are usually to blame. Not so. The problem is often unintentional data breaches caused by security guidelines that are too hard to follow. The guide gives you 3 simple tips for tweaking your security efforts.

• Myth #2: Data breaches mainly involve electronic documents. Wrong again. Good old paper docs pose just as much risk—or more. Use the guide’s 4 tips to protect printed information.

You’ll get the facts on FACTA, too. (Don’t know what FACTA is? Better get the guide.) Plus a wealth of advice from the GAO and OMB. Even a model letter notifying an employee of identity theft—just copy and paste.

The bottom line: Proper record-keeping is an absolute must. Which makes the Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements a must-have resource to lower the risk of liability for your company.

Speaking of risk, you’ll have my no-risk, 100% money-back guarantee when you order. Please take advantage of it. See for yourself how the guide makes record-keeping compliance clear and easy.

The guide is sure to find a permanent place in your HR library. With the reduced liability risk, you may even sleep better at night. Order now.

Sincerely,

Phillip A. Ash
Publisher

P.S. Do the legal requirements of record-keeping change over time? You bet they do. That’s why we’ll send you a FREE updated CD of the Employer’s Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements about 6 months after you order.

You may keep this initial update at no extra charge. You’ll also have the option of paying a modest fee to receive a new CD every 6 months. Most of our customers love this easy renewal service, but it’s entirely up to you.

First things first. Order the Employer's Guide to Record-Keeping Requirements now.