One of the most interesting conversations I had at the HR Houston Gulf Coast Symposium conference last week centered on the fragmented nature of personnel files. While HR programs have made tremendous strides towards electronic management of these record sets, HR organizations continue to struggle with inefficiencies caused by multiple physical and electronic repositories.

Think about all the records created about an individual during their tenure with an organization. There are new hire documents, annual benefits information, performance reviews, doctor’s slips, employment agreements, and salary administration notices, just to name a few. Some of these records might reside in a web based candidate tracking system, some might be kept in an ERP system such as SAP or PeopleSoft, and others might be kept hardcopy.

Now, there are valid reasons for not locating certain records together; for example, it is a recommended practice to retain employment verification documents (such as I-9s) separate from the main personnel file. But what happens, for example, when an HR Generalist needs to research a complaint that an employee was not treated fairly in the annual review process? What savings be realized if you reduce that effort for each HR Generalist in your organization?

We have the tools to repair fragmented personnel files and other analogous record sets within an organization. Technology plays a role in this equation, but the use of controlled vocabularies, metadata tagging, and improved filing practices also provide much needed glue.

This repair work also requires a shift in the skillsets and perspective of the HR user community. Rather than act as a gatherer, collecting records and information from multiple sources, they become a hunter, performing targeted, efficient searches on demand. As hunters, HR moves into a more strategic stance, achieving significant benefits in process efficiency, compliance, and litigation readiness.

This evolution requires substantial organization commitment as well as a frank, detailed assessment of current records and information management practices. It also entails a discussion of the strategic positioning of HR within the broader enterprise. The tantalizing gain, however, is worthy enough to warrant sharpening up a few spears and seeing what can be achieved.