Personnel File Policy

Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for the storage, maintenance, and accessibility of official employee personnel files, including employment and service-related documentation contained within those files.

Procedures

Official personnel files are maintained securely for each University employee. The Office of Human Resources and Student Employment is responsible for storing these records, which include documentation related to employment, benefits, retirement plans, insurance, credentials, and other employment-related matters.

Personnel files may contain both public and confidential information. Public records included in the file are accessible under applicable public records laws upon submission of a formal written request to the appropriate University official.

Confidential records—such as those pertaining to insurance, retirement plans, medical certifications, drug testing, and similar matters—are protected from public disclosure. However, access may be granted to authorized individuals within the University or to representatives of government agencies who have a legitimate business or legal need to know. Disclosure may also be required in response to legal mandates or court orders, with proper authorization.

Each employee’s personnel file may include, but is not limited to, the following types of documents:

• Public records;
• Confidential records (e.g., insurance, retirement, workers’ compensation);
• Medical certifications or FMLA documentation (confidential);
• Drug testing records (confidential);
• Form I-9 (confidential);
• Performance evaluations (confidential);
• Resumés or curricula vitae;
• Letters of appointment, tenure, and promotion;
• Academic transcripts; and
• Letters of recommendation for employment.

Supervisory or Departmental Files

Supervisory files must be maintained securely, either in a locked physical location or within a secure digital storage system, accessible only to authorized personnel. These files should be kept by an employee’s direct supervisor and must be maintained for all employees. They may include job performance notes, job descriptions, records of counsel (verbal and written), pre-disciplinary documentation, performance evaluations, professional development records, letters of commendation, and documentation related to disciplinary matters.

The department head is responsible for ensuring that faculty and staff files are properly maintained—whether physical, digital, or both—and for developing an office procedure, in consultation with the dean or supervisor, which outlines which materials are included in these files. At a minimum, each file must contain the annual performance review, the signed rating sheet, and any supporting documentation.

Faculty and staff members may request access to their supervisory file—whether maintained in physical form or through a secure digital system—at any time. Concerns regarding the contents of the supervisory file should be addressed through the appropriate supervisory chain of command.

Employee Access to Personnel Files

Employees may review their personnel files maintained in the Office of Human Resources and Student Employment during regular business hours, and in the presence of a designated representative from that office.

Employees will be notified prior to the release of any information to an external individual or agency, unless a signed authorization is already on file permitting the release of the specific information.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the University Policies webpage.

References

Louisiana R.S. 44.1 (et seq.)
State Civil Service-Public vs. Private Information
State Civil Service-Employee File