University Secretary

Departmental staff files should be retained for 6 years after employees leave the University to cover the limitation period set by the Limitation Act 1980.  

There are, however, some items contained within the files that can be held for shorter periods: e.g.

• appraisal records ? retain current year + 3 years;
• probation records ? retain for 3 years after completion of probation.

For more detailed guidance, please see the Retention Schedule for Staff Records.

Note: certain core data (e.g. full name, date of birth, position held, dates of appointment) needs to be retained long-term so that the University can confirm the employment details of its former staff.  Provided the Human Resources department handled recruitment to the post, this information should be held centrally and departments should not need to keep separate records.