Under Article 75 of Labor Law No. 4857, employers are required to create a personnel file for every employee and keep it regularly updated. The personnel file is a vital archive covering every stage from the employee’s start date to their departure. It contains critical documents such as hiring documents, performance evaluation reports, medical reports, and disciplinary records, and under labor law it is a legal obligation for employers. However, files kept in physical form carry risks such as wear and tear, loss, and high storage costs. For this reason, moving to a digital personnel file system with the possibilities technology offers has become a critical turning point for businesses.
What Is an Employee Personnel File and What Should It Contain?
An employee personnel file is a legal archive containing important information about all of an employee’s processes at the workplace. Although the Labor Law does not define in detail the documents that must be included in personnel files, the documents employers are generally expected to keep can be listed as follows:
- Identification Documents: A photocopy of the national ID card, passport, or driver’s license.
- Criminal Record: The employee’s criminal record certificate.
- Proof of Residence: A document showing the official address.
- Diplomas and Certificates: Documents showing the employee’s academic and professional qualifications.
- Medical Report: A certificate of fitness for work.
- Employment Contract: A copy of the contract made between the employee and the employer.
- Social Security Institution (SGK) Hiring Notification: The social security registration document.
- Disciplinary Documents: Documents of warnings, reprimands, or other disciplinary penalties.
- Payroll Records: Salary payment documents.
- Performance Evaluation Forms: Documents that measure the employee’s productivity.
- Leave Forms: Records of short- and long-term leave.
- Exit Documents: Documents relating to the employee’s departure process.
Keeping these documents in physical form can create challenges such as wear and tear, loss, and storage costs. The retention period for personnel files is at least 5 years depending on the nature of the document, and in some cases can extend to 15 years. Under the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK), documents must be securely destroyed within 3-6 months after the retention period expires.
Digitize Your Employee Personnel Files with Plena Arşiv
To help your business move to a digital personnel file system quickly and securely, you can choose the Plena Arşiv solution. Plena Arşiv is a cloud-based document management system that lets you store and manage employee personnel files securely in a digital environment.
With Plena Arşiv:
- Assign Employee Documents to Folders Automatically: Employee documents are automatically assigned to the relevant folders with an OCR model.
- Increase Security with Authorized Access: Store sensitive employee data in line with KVKK standards.
- Enable Easy Remote Access: Offer secure access to your documents anytime, anywhere.
- Reduce Costs: Minimize the costs arising from physical document archiving and management processes.
To learn more and discover what kind of transformation it can bring to your business, you can visit the Plena Arşiv page.
Conclusion
Moving employee personnel files to a digital environment has become an unavoidable necessity in today’s business world. Digital personnel file management offers businesses many advantages, such as cost savings, processing speed, data security, and efficiency. With advanced solutions like Plena Arşiv, you can easily make this transition and make your processes more efficient.
Sources
- Deloitte Digital Transformation Report 2023
- Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) Legislation
- Gartner Digital Workplace Trends 2023
- Harvard Business Review – The Impact of Digital Document Management
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