Background

Your record-keeping practices can be either your best defender...or your worst enemy. You need to be absolutely confident that all your employee records, files, and documents — from pre-hire through termination — are legally prepared to defend you...whether in an OFCCP audit, an EEOC investigation, an FLSA probe, or an OSHA inspection.

And now, with identity theft in the workplace on the rise, you also need to take special precautions to ensure the safety of your employees' personal information, or risk hefty fines and penalties.

That's where we can help. AHI has teamed up with record-keeping expert Rebecca Mazin, to present a 90-minute audio conference titled:

LEGAL & PRACTICAL RECORD-KEEPING STRATEGIES:
How To Protect Your Organization
From Fines, Penalties & Identity Theft

This audio conference covers every step of the employee record-keeping/ documentation process — from where and how long to keep hiring applications, new-hire forms, and personnel and medical files…to policies and procedures for maintaining electronic documents, completing workplace safety and health records, and safeguarding personal information…through requirements for retaining documentation related to terminated employees.

This audio conference answers tricky questions like:

• What steps should you be taking to protect your organization from potential legal liability due to identity theft?

• Are all individuals who submit résumés via the Internet considered applicants for record-keeping and reporting purposes?

• What are the revisions to the EEO-1 Report for 2007?

• What are the biggest legal and practical pitfalls in compiling records, and how can they be avoided?

• What are the requirements of the I-9 electronic storage and signature law?

• Which elements should be in a self-audit of I-9s to uncover vulnerabilities?

• Should employees have access to their personnel files? Can they make copies?

• How long should terminated employee files be kept?

— Who Should "Listen In" —

• HR professionals/directors/managers
• Payroll managers
• Benefits administrators
• Business owners
• Front-line managers

— Audio Conference Outline —

Hiring Document Requirements

• Employment applications — where and how long to keep them
• Definition of an applicant — Internet applications
• Pre-employment testing — record-keeping for health, skills, and background screening
• Credit reports — notification requirements
• Revisions to the EEO-1 Report you need to know about
• I-9s — how long to keep them — where to store them and why
• Avoiding pitfalls when completing I-9s
• How to avoid Social Security mismatches leading to an Immigration audit of I-9s

Personnel Files: Why Keep Them And What To Put In Them

INTERACTIVE EXERCISE:
Test Your Knowledge On Where To Keep Specific Documents

• Why should you create a policy?
• What types of records go in each folder?
• Which documents should not be kept in personnel files?
• Where should personnel files be kept and who should have access?

Benefits And Medical Information

• Which documents belong in a separate medical file?
• ADA, FMLA, and COBRA record-keeping requirements
• Who should have access to medical files?
• Record-keeping requirements for non-health-related benefits information

Electronic Record-Keeping

• Practical and legal considerations for HRIS Systems
• How e-mail and voicemail can be considered discoverable information in lawsuits
• What needs to be in your policy regarding disposal of e-mail and other electronic communication
• The Electronic Signatures Act

Creating A Records-Retention Policy

• Why create a formal records-retention policy for all documents?
• Elements of an electronic information retention policy

Terminated Employees Documentation

• Terminated employees personnel files — where and how long to keep them
• Which medical information should you retain?
• Record-keeping for benefits follow-up

Workplace Safety and Health

• Which records and logs are required by OSHA?

Identity Theft

• What steps do you need to take to make sure personal data is secure?
• Who should have access to confidential records?
• What can an audit of data reveal?
• How do you raise awareness in the workplace to help prevent identity theft?
• Procedures to use to protect Social Security numbers

— Featured Speaker —

Rebecca Mazin is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Recruit Right, a Human Resources consulting firm specializing in organizational development, strategic staffing, and training. She is also co-author of The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals.

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org.

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org .

Here's what our past attendees had to say about this audio conference.

“These audio conferences are fabulous! Great use of company and personal time.”

“Program and format were well produced. I liked being able to ask questions for further clarification.”

“Depth and breadth of knowledge good. Q&A time very helpful. Easy to understand and follow.”

“Very convenient method for conference format. Very thorough.”