# Employee records, one folder for each person

> An employee's file says a great deal about them, and it's often needed after they've left. folio will give each person a folder you can protect, so every view needs a reason, and their records will be disposed of when retention ends.

Source: https://unforged.ai/folio/use-cases/people-and-hr

Who it's for: People and HR. What it's filed by: the person.

## Where it goes wrong today

Contracts, right-to-work checks, appraisals, grievance notes and payroll letters tend to sit in different systems, with different people able to open them.

When a former employee makes a subject access request, or a tribunal claim arrives, you need everything about that person quickly, and confidence that only the right people have looked at it.

## What folio will do

- **Retain**: Each person's records will be filed in their own folder and kept until the class for that kind of record says they can go.
- **Find**: You'll be able to find everything about one person by name or employee number, which will make a subject access request much quicker to answer.
- **Hold**: If a tribunal claim or a grievance is coming, you'll be able to hold that person's records, and nothing in them will be disposed of until two people release it.
- **Account**: You'll be able to protect people folders so every view needs a reason, and every view will go in your ledger.

## What you'll set up

1. Make a retention class for each kind of people record, for example contracts, payroll and right-to-work checks, with the period you've decided on for each.
2. Create a folder for each person, named by employee number, so a change of name doesn't split their records.
3. Turn on reasons for the people folders, so anyone opening one will be asked why.
4. File new starters' paperwork as it's signed, and bring older files across in one import.

## A day with folio

- **09:00** A new starter's contract and right-to-work check will be filed into their folder the morning they join.
- **11:20** A former employee sends a subject access request. You'll search their employee number and export everything in their folder for review.
- **14:45** A manager will open a file to prepare for an appraisal, and folio will ask them for the reason first.
- **16:10** Records for people who left long enough ago will reach the end of their class, and folio will dispose of them, with each disposal in the ledger.

For now, please don't store health information in folio. That includes fit notes and occupational health reports, so please leave those where they are.

## Where your periods come from

[UK GDPR](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/article/5) asks you not to keep personal data for longer than you need it, and [Article 15](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/article/15) gives people the right to ask for a copy of their personal data.

This page is general information, not legal advice. How long each kind of record should stay is your professional judgement, and folio will hold to whatever you set.

## Read next

- [How long to keep HR records](https://unforged.ai/folio/guides/hr-records-retention)
- [Filing and folders](https://unforged.ai/folio/docs/filing-and-folders)
- [How holds and approvals will work](https://unforged.ai/folio/docs/holds-and-approvals)
- [Exports, reports and links](https://unforged.ai/folio/docs/exports-and-links)

folio is in private beta. [Tell us what you have to keep](https://unforged.ai/contact?topic=other&product=folio) and we'll set it up with you.