Federal statutes require that employers should maintain certain paperwork for all their employees. These laws require that all employers should maintain the following records as follows;

1. certain employee pre-hire paperwork,
2. employee health and safety logs,
3. retain employee payroll records,
4. employee I-9 forms.

In addition to the records that are required by law, employers should also be maintaining personnel files on all employees that include the following;

1. job descriptions,
2. training records,
3. performance reviews,
4. disciplinary notices.

Additionally, the following employee information is required to be maintained by Employers along with a suggested retention period as required by the Federal Statutes as follows;

1. Resumes & employment applications.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws require employers to retain all paperwork related to the pre-hire process, including job ads and postings, resumes, employment applications, interview notes, employment tests, and notes taken during the reference check process..

Retention period:
It is suggested that for applicants that are hired, employers should keep their resume and application in their personnel file for the duration of their employment.

2.New hire paperwork.
Upon the hiring of new employees, all employers are recommended to require that these new hires complete the following paperwork:

-offer letter,
-employment agreement,
-non-compete,
-confidentiality agreements,
-an acknowledgment of having received the employee handbook,
-I-9 forms, the completion of this form is a Federal Requirement,
-W-4 forms, the completion of this form is a Federal Requirement.

Retention period:
All new hire paperwork should be retained for the duration of the employees s employment with the company.

3.I-9 form.
All new hires "must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form, also known as the I-9 form, within three (3) days of hire. The I-9 form requires the employee to provide evidence of their eligibility to work."

Retention period:
For all new applicants that are hired, employers should maintain their completed I-9 forms for the both the duration of the employment and for a period of at least 3 years following the termination of employment.

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