Prepare Records for Storage

Prepare Records for Storage

Considerations

You should not send records to storage that have met retention. Destroy eligible records using the Certificate of Records Destruction (RM3).

You must have access to URMA in order to send boxes off-site.

The contents of a box should all fall under the same records series and have the same destruction dates. If it is necessary to mix destruction dates to fill a box, the destruction date of the box will be set to the latest of these dates.

Prepare Boxes

Doing this work on the front end saves money. If the vendor has to sort through your boxes during the destruction process, you will be charged an additional fee.

As you box the records, do the following:

  • Remove binders or other containers. Use folders, colored paper, or other dividers between binder groups to establish separation.
  • Remove binder clips, butterfly clips, hanging files, and plastic sleeves. Smaller paper clips and staples can remain.
  • Create an inventory of each box's contents. This will help if you need to pull a record/box in the future.

You must use a standard records storage box (10" x 15" x 12"). Copy paper boxes or over-sized bankers boxes are not acceptable. Do not tape the box closed. If the lid doesn't fit securely on the box without tape, move some of the contents to a second box.

Place the URMA label on one of the box's end panels (the narrow ends of the box).

Consult with Records & Information Management about the inclusion of electronic media, cassette tapes, video tapes, etc.

Transferring Personnel Records

Departments must take special steps to transfer personnel records to the custody of Human Resources.

Organize the records by year of employee termination, not alphabetical order. Box the records so that:

  • the range of termination dates in one box doesn't exceed five years, and
  • current employees are in a separate box.

Create an Excel spreadsheet that includes the following information for each employee:

  • first and last name,
  • termination year, and
  • the box number where the file is contained.

Finally, complete and submit a certificate of records destruction for:

  • records of employees who terminated more than 50 years ago, and
  • search and hiring records closed more than three years.

After completing the above steps, contact RIM to discuss next steps.

Complete the Managing HR Records course (7 minutes) in Workday to learn more.