Personnel Records, 1.20
University Policy
Applies to: Faculty, staff, graduate associates, and student employees
The Ohio State University – University Policies policies.osu.edu Page 2 of 4
C. Transfer and rehire
1. When an employee transfers from one unit to another, the personnel file and controlled access records
become the responsibility of the new unit’s Human Resource Business Partner (HRBP) or designee.
2. When an employee is rehired by the university:
a. If their former personnel file is still active, new records must be added to the existing personnel file.
b. If their former personnel file is inactive or has been deleted in accordance with the university’s
record
retention schedule, a new personnel file must be created.
D. Records retention
1. Centers of Expertise (COEs) within the Office of Human Resources (OHR) and unit HRBPs or
designees must adhere to the applicable records retention schedule(s).
2. Each record within the personnel file must be maintained or destroyed according to the university or unit
retention schedule for that specific record.
3. For more information, see the university's retention schedules webpage f
or the OSU General Records
Retention Schedule and Unique Retention Schedules.
II. S
upervisory Files
A. If a supervisory file exists for the employee, it is not part of the personnel file and must be maintained in a
secure location by the employee’s manager.
B. See Personnel File Setup
for more information on supervisory f
iles.
PROCEDURE
Issued: 10/01/1977
Revised: 06/10/2024 (minor revision)
I. Creation and Maintenance of Personnel Files
A. Requirements for creating employee personnel files are found in Personnel File Setup.
B. CoEs and unit HRBPs or designees must place records in the personnel file consistent with Personnel File
Setup.
C. The personnel file must be maintained consistent with the Institutional Data policy.
II. Employee Transfer Impact on Personnel File Maintenance
A. When an employee transfers from one unit to another, the personnel file and the employee’s controlled access
records become the responsibility of the HRBP or designee of the new unit.
III. Access to Personnel Files
A. In accordance with and to the extent permitted by the Ohio Public Records Act,
employees may request to
inspect or obtain a copy of their own personnel file. Current employees should contact their unit HRBP or
designee, who will respond to such requests within a reasonable period of time.
B. A re
quest for internal access to another individual’s personnel file should be made to the appropriate HRBP
or designee. The HRBP or designee will ensure the requestor has a legitimate job-related need to access the
file, and will respond to such requests within a reasonable period of time.
C. Former employees may request a copy of their personnel file from Employee and Labor Relations
(ELR).
ELR will consult with the Office of University Compliance and Integrity (OUCI), Public Records, prior to
responding to the request.
D. R
equests for personnel files other than requests described in Procedure III.A are generally considered public
records requests and should be processed accordingly. For more information, see the Public Records policy.