Pre-Employment Information

• According to the legal information website Nolo, you should keep all pre-employment related information in each employee's personnel file. This information includes documents each employee submitted before being hired such as a completed job application or resume. The file should also include information obtained immediately following the hire such as a Social Security card photocopy and a driver's license photo copy. These documents are necessary to validate each employee's identity and confirm citizenship status.
  
  

Performance Evaluations

• All performance evaluations, good and bad, should be included in an employee's personal file. These evaluations act as an informative tool when an employee is being reviewed for a promotion or is on the verge of being fired. Having all these documents in one place also allows an employer to track performance. This can help an employer determine which employees are consistently working hard, are steadily improving or have diminishing performance returns. An employer might also want to include documentation relating to any training certifications or relevant degrees an employee possesses.
  
  

Disciplinary Record

• An employee's disciplinary record should be included in her personnel file. A disciplinary record should include any written warnings, formal customer complaints, coworker complaints and all disciplinary actions taken against the employee. Each incident in the disciplinary record should be dated with all written warnings signed by the employee. Disciplinary records are a useful tool in determining if an employee should be dismissed. These records also serve to prevent an employee who was fired for cause from obtaining unemployment benefits.
  
  

Contracts and Background Information

• If your business employs professionals on a contract basis, all materials relating to the employment contract should be included in an employee's personnel file. This allows the contract to be stored in a safe but accessible place for management to review should the need arise. The file should also contain the employee's current status such as work hours and salary or hourly rate of pay. If a criminal background check was performed on an employee, the results of the check also should be included in the employee's personnel file.