Employee Files & Confidentiality

Employee File

Official Reliant Employee Files are maintained by Reliant Central and are considered confidential.

Leaders and supervisors may only have access to Employee File information on a need-to-know basis. Employees may have access to the file in accordance with their applicable state laws.

A church or ministry leader who is considering hiring a former employee or the transfer of a current employee may be granted access to the file or limited parts of it.

Contents of Employee File

• Selected pre-employment documents
• Job descriptions
• Performance evaluations
• Warnings, counseling, and corrective action notices (e.g., Standards of Performance)
• Records relating to promotion, demotion, or transfer
• Education and training records
• Pay and compensation information
• Field Manual and policy acknowledgments
• Employment agreements
• Letters of recognition and awards
• Termination notice and documentation

Employee Working File

Local supervisors should keep an informal working file for their direct reports. The working file prevents a manager/supervisor from relying on his or her memory.  Anything related to an employee's employment can be tracked in a working file.  These files must be kept confidential and secured (locked away if a physical copy or password protected if electronic) and should only contain objective, observable information.  Items that might be included in a working file include:

• Documentation of things the employee has done very well – specific examples
• Copies of corrective actions or “Standards of Performance”  documents that have been issued
• Time off requests
• Notes of one-on-one coaching times that are specific and refrain from assumptions
• Copies of annual performance evaluations
• Copy of the staff member’s job description

Information kept in a working file should not include assumptions or subjective conclusions unless preceded by objective, observable examples. 

Shared Documents (via Google, Microsoft 365, etc.)

With most documents stored digitally in software applications that allow for easy sharing, leaders and supervisors must be diligent about tracking who has access to confidential documents and files. Please use the following guidelines when handling employee documents:

• Ensure that document access is restricted to certain people.
• When sharing a document, make sure that the permission level is set correctly for those with whom you share it. This will safeguard against the document being shared with people who shouldn't have access to it.
  • Here's how you do that for Google Files: Stop, limit, or change sharing
  • Here's how you do that for Microsoft 365: Share your documents