Yikes!
Picture a future where humans have a microchip implanted in their hand. Last week a company in Wisconsin, USA, hit the headlines because their employees are doing just that.
Not nearly as disturbing is our article for this month about keeping on top of employees’ information. We are happy to say this relies on good HR management skills rather than microchipping!
Keeping accurate employee information
As employers, we need to collect and manage employee information so it is accurate and up-to-date. It’s hard to argue with this, and when an employee joins the team, it’s pretty straightforward because the information is probably close to, if not, 100% accurate.
But, what happens a year or two down the track? Is the employee’s information still up-to-date?
The information that immediately springs to mind is the fundamental employee information like contact details (e.g. home address, phone number, next of kin) and information relating to the employee’s conditions and pay.
But, we also need to think about other relevant information. Some common examples that you should check and update (because they can change over time) include:
- Work visas: The correct work visa is required by law. Work visa options can vary on criteria and duration.
- Driver’s licence: Employees need to be holding the correct driver’s licence for their role. This not only includes the obvious roles like sales reps and tradies, who drive as part of their everyday role; don’t forget the office employee who runs ad hoc errands in a vehicle. Whether the vehicle is owned by the company or the employee, if the employee is performing work duties, the onus is on the employer.
- Practising certificates: In many industries, employees are required by law to hold a current practising certificate. These certificates are usually only valid for a specified time period.
- Safety endorsements: Employees may need to have safety endorsements to operate machinery or use tools.
- Training and education records: Accurate records are required to ensure employee competence.
- Continuing education: In some fields, including law and accountancy, continuing education is required for employees to retain registration.
Keeping on top of these records not only ensures employees are working in the confines of legislation, but is essential for an employer to meet their health and safety requirements and their responsibilities as a good employer.
The downside of not keeping on top of this can be severe. If an employee needs a driver’s licence to do their job, but they aren’t holding the correct licence, and they have a car accident while on work time, there can be significant implications for the employer. Work visas are another area to monitor closely because changed or lapsed visas can cause chaos in a business if an employee has to leave their job.
What systems do you have in place?
Keeping up-to-date employee information may sound a bit ho-hum, but there is plenty of upside to having good records. Good information makes your HR management and planning that much easier.
It doesn’t have to be a burden – you can keep it simple by being organised. Once you know how often you need to check each employee’s information, schedule it. Annually is fine for a lot of cases, but some things may need to be more often. Communicate to your employees the timing then everyone is on the same page. If you need our assistance, give us a call. We would love to help.
