Digitisation of personnel records

Thank you to those who replied to my message. I didn't receive many replies - mostly they were requests for a summary of responses.

Retention schedules varied from keeping general staff files for 7 years, 10 years, 15 years and indefinitely after an employee has left. There is specific local govt legislation covering employees who have worked with lead, asbestos and radiation which require these records to be kept for 40 to 50 years. In the case of records kept indefinitely staff are told at the outset that this is company policy.

I have received warnings about holding staff files on CD. There are instances of CD rot and corruption of data on CDs that are just two years old. Unfortunately in this area my influence is particularly weak as the project is going ahead regardless. On a cynical note it may mean that the retention schedule arguments are irrelevant.

I was told that the Freedom of Information Act is going to amend the Data Protection Act in the case of DP exemption of unstructured files so that chronological unlabelled files will be classed as personal data which will have to comply with DP principles, equally as hard copy or digitised files.

I would still be interested in any further information and will try and answer any queries you may have on the above.

Thanks again to those who replied,

Gillian Cooke
UCLES Group Archivist

Syndicate Buildings
1 Hills Raod
Cambridge
CB1 2EU

Tel: 01223 553662
Email: [log in to unmask]





=**********************************************************



If you are not the intended recipient, employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this communication and its attachments is strictly prohibited.



If you have received this communication and its attachments in error, please return the original message and attachments to the sender using the reply facility on e-mail.



Internet communications are not secure and therefore the UCLES Group does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message.  Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UCLES Group unless otherwise specifically stated.



This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by

MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses although this does not guarantee that this email is virus free.



**********************************************************=