The concept of personnel information forms or employee information sheets has undergone a lot of innovation and changes in the past, especially since the introduction of the personal computer. Retrieving, organization and filing of personnel information have become much easier than ever.

We live very busy lives, and at times getting the information you need on an immediate basis can prove to be a challenge. This is why personnel information management of employee information sheets helps in handling the information clutter in people’s lives.

Employee Information Forms













Importance of Employee Information Documents

Ease of retrieval

One of the first things that any organization has to consider when looking for a personnel information form system, is the ease of accessing data, and retrieval on demand. You should spend a short time scrolling through the events that transpired through the year, or scrolling through data to find something specific. More importantly, a good employee information sheet comes with the search function, that makes your work easier when you need to look for a specific report or unique data without having to search through the entire database.

Reminders

Such an employee information sheet is not just supposed to keep information about employees, but it also acts as a timely reminder for important dates and events in the lives of the employees. There are important details in the lives of employees like their birthdays, or important events in the lives of their children that the company needs to take seriously. More importantly, the HR and/or welfare departments must have such information on hand.

Migration and sharing data

Another factor that most organizations look into when they need an employee information sheet is the ease of migrating data. There comes a time when you need to upgrade or change from one data management system to another, and it would be wise to get a system that allows you to migrate the information available on the personnel information forms to the new system very easily.

Information sharing in an organization, especially between departments is very important. It should be efficient and time-conscious. Therefore, whichever system you use to store the personnel information form data should allow you to share files across departments without any challenges.

Task manager

For your employee information form, you also need to ensure you have a task manager feature. A task manager will help you in the event that you have a couple of tasks to accomplish with the forms at the same time. There are some activities that are interconnected, and you would need a good task manager to help you avoid an overlap while using the information on the forms.

Accessing data in personnel in information forms

A lot of people do not really know this, but you do have a right to access any information that an organization or an individual has about you. Accessing the information, however, is not as straight forward. You must get permission for the same. An access request is important, or you might be charged with unlawfully obtaining information, even if it is about you.

It is within your right to ask any data collector to provide you with the information you need. As long as you believe or think the institution has, is sharing or using your information, you have a right to request them to supply you with the data they have about you.To access the information they have on you, most organizations will request that you pay a fee.

Accessing information on someone else’s behalf

You are, in most cases free to request and access information on behalf of someone. This information will, in most cases be requested by a solicitor or someone else who is acting on behalf of the primary individual.

To get access to such data, you need written permission from a higher authority or the power of attorney over the individual’s information. The same can apply in the event that the primary individual no longer has the mental capacity to manage their own rights to access their information.

Procedure for accessing information

If you follow the right procedures, an organization that holds employee information would be obligated by law to provide the information you need. The following are steps that will help you make this process as smooth as possible:

Planning

In most cases, when you need to obtain some information from someone or from a certain organization, you have to make a formal request and plan for this. You probably knew you needed to use the information at some point, so it is highly unlikely that this is getting you off guard.

Before you write your request to whoever has the information you need, try and find out the correct department where your request should be directed. This will ease your work, and also reduce the time between receipt of your formal request and when the relevant individuals furnish you with the information you want.

You also need to try and find out whether there are any costs or fees that are applicable, before you proceed, and plan for them.

It is always wise to know the information that you want to obtain from a certain individual or organization. This is important, especially in the case that you are being charged for such requests. You might be charged to obtain additional information, something that you could have avoided if your initial request was comprehensive.

Contact the relevant authorities

Once you are set to follow through with your request for information, you need to have all the data needed ready. Provide your identification details and proof of address where necessary.

Proof of receipt

Once you have the information you need, it is wise to keep records of all the correspondence between yourself and the individual or organization contact person that is in charge. In case you made any payments to receive such information, ensure you have the receipts carefully stored, just in case you need to present them for some other reason in the near future.

Employee Information Sheet














Dealing with challenges of handling personnel information

One of the biggest challenges that we have in the world at the moment is that information access is a very powerful tool. There are a lot of people who would wish to obtain information about individuals, whether they know them or not, for their own personal reasons.

Some of these reasons might be fraudulent, others might just be out of curiosity and so forth. Any company that has employee information or any other kind of personnel information would have to be aware of this, and more importantly, the risks that are associated with handling such data.

From the collection, storage, disclosure, retaining and even disposal of such information, precautionary measures should be taken to safeguard the interests of the parties whose information the company holds.

All companies that hold some kind of information about individuals or their employees must invest in appropriate risk aversion measures to address the security, privacy and compliance of the data they hold, among other factors.

This also means that they have to, at all times, anticipate the threat of privacy breaches. Therefore, the following are some of the risk considerations that such entities must consider:

Understanding the information

It is important that the company and the individuals that are tasked with information management know and understand the kind of information that passes through their fingers. With this in mind, they would also have to address the privacy concerns and representations that are involved when such information is collected, stored, retrieved or disposed of.

Policy Review

Before any information is acquired, especially from third parties, it is important to have a careful review of their privacy policies and practices so that the stakeholders understand the representations that are applicable with respect to permissible access to and use of the relevant information.

This is applicable irrespective of whether the information in question is about an organization, business partners or individuals.

Needs assessment

The entities that handle personnel information are supposed to come up with unique policies within their ranks. These are policies that should govern the ability to monitor, identify and handle personnel information within their networks.

For this reason, there should be strict guidelines around the collection of data, the type of data and its nature, contractual or legal obligations involved in handling such data and any other considerations or consequences of action on the information.

Legal requirements

While it is within the prerogative of the individual to request any data that is stored in personnel information forms, it is also up to the individuals and any other parties involved to make sure that the information is handled within the legal confines of the law.

Each organization that handles personnel information has specific guidelines and requirements, especially when it comes to ownership of data, retention, collection, segregation and acceptable use.

Personnel Information Form













Employee information any organization must have

Whether you own a big company or a small start-up, there is one thing that is for certain – if at some point you will hire employees, you must have some of their personnel information with you. There are registration procedures that you have to go through with your employees, for you to legally hire them.

There are forms that each employer will need their staff to fill. It is not just about knowing the forms they need to fill, but the importance of those forms too.

There are forms that have to be filled as a mandatory requirement by the government, without which you can be prosecuted. There are also forms that should be filled, as important documents with respect to the nature of your business. The following are some of the important forms that your employees, or yourself as an employee or job seeker, will have to fill at some point:

Form W-4

This is the Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, and it is a mandatory requirement from the IRS. With this form, an employer is able to know the correct amount of income tax that they are supposed to withhold from the earnings of their employees.

Federal taxes (Medicare, social security and income taxes) are taxed as withholding taxes, at source. These are taxed from the gross wages of the employee, and the money deposited with the IRS.

Each employee is supposed to fill a W-4 so the employer knows how much tax they will withhold off their salary each month. On the part of the employee, you can also claim withholding allowances so that you get a deduction in the tax that is withheld from your salary.

When willing in a W-4, you have to provide the following information:

  • Full names
  • Marital status
  • Physical address
  • Social security number

It is important to take note of the fact that filling the W-4 is mandatory for any new employee, without which you cannot be on the payroll.

Form I-9

The I-9 is also called the Employment Eligibility Verification form. Any employer will have to get their employees to fill this form, as proof that they are able to work within the country legally.

There are three sections on this form. The first section is filled by the employee, the second by their employer, and the third section is only used when re-hiring the employee, or for the sake of re-verification in case, the employee seeks employment elsewhere.

For this form, you will need to provide the usual details like the social security number, name and proof of physical address. There is also a segment on the form that has to be filled by anyone assisting you, like a translator or a preparer when you are filling the form.

To fill this form, any employee has to present original documents as proof of their identity and their authorization to operate as an employee within the country.

There is a section on this form for the employer to verify and provide details on the document(s) that the employee has presented. After that, the employer must also verify, to the very best of their knowledge, that the documents their employees have presented are legitimate.

State tax withholding forms

In case there is state income tax where the business is situated, employers must have state tax withholding forms for their employees, which they will fill at the same time they are filling the W-4.

Take note that this is not applicable in all states. There are states that do not have state income tax, so in such cases, the employees do not need to fill these forms. This employee information form serves the same purpose as the W-4. The employees must fill in all the data about the allowances that they intend to claim from the state, which enables the employer to determine how much they will withhold in terms of state income tax at the end of each payment cycle.

Emergency contact forms

Each employee must have an emergency contact person. This is important in the event of any mishap occurring at the workplace, or if their next of kin is needed for some reason. In case the employee has been injured at work or if there is any other kind of an emergency, such contacts will usually come in handy because the company knows who to get in touch with.

The information provided in this employee information form can be very simple, like providing the contact details for one or even three contact persons that can be reached in case of an emergency. The following are the key details that are needed in the emergency contact forms:

  • Name of the contacts
  • Relationship of contacts to the employee
  • Work phone numbers
  • Home contact numbers
  • Physical address

It is usually advisable for the employees to make sure that they provide, in their emergency contact forms, details of people who are close to their place of work. It is also necessary to update changes to these contact details on an as and if they occur basis.

Handbook acknowledgement form

Any serious organization must have an employee handbook in their business. This is an important document because it provides details on important things about the business that the employees need to know about.

Some of the information contained in here include the mandatory business policies, payroll information, employee conduct guidelines and employment laws. It is important to have such information readily available so that the employees can always consult the handbook when they have any questions that need to be addressed.

The handbook acknowledgement form, therefore, acts as proof that the employer has acted in their capacity as a responsible employer, and provided the important details for the employees. The employees, by signing this form, give their consent to the fact that they have understood what is in the handbook and understand the business policies of their place of work.

Banking information

In the event that an employee decides to be paid through direct deposit, or if the company operates in a state where mandatory direct deposit is allowed, the employer must have details of the bank account of the employee.

It is important to note that more than 80% of employees actually prefer direct deposit for their salaries. Since it is a very common mode of payment, therefore, the employer will need the following details:

  • Name of the employee
  • Type of account the employee holds
  • Name of the employee’s bank
  • Routing number of the bank
  • The employee’s account number

On their part, the employee must sign and confirm that they have decided to have their payment sent to them through direct deposit. With this information, the employer can set up the payroll accordingly.

Technically, there is a lot of information about employees that employers have within their ranks. It is not just the employers who have this information. Banks, insurance companies and so forth, also have access to the data provided in the forms.

What the relevant parties need to do with respect to the employee information sheet, is to make sure that they keep their records accurate. Any data that is obtained about an employee and stored in some employee information form must be accurate and continually updated whenever changes are imminent. This makes it easier to provide the necessary assistance to the employee if and when needed.