What to Include in an Employee File in the Netherlands?

Employers process a lot of personal data of their employees. These are often stored in an employee file. Employers may only prepare a personnel file if this is necessary for the performance of an employment contract or appointment as a civil servant, and they must take into account the privacy of their employees.

Keeping a complete employee record helps you track employee performance, among other metrics. It’s also essential for legal compliance.
But how do you know which documents to keep, and which documents are confidential? In this article and in the e-book, it is explained what should go in an employee file, and how to best keep your records compliance with the law.

Conditions of the Employee File

The General Data Protection Regulation [AVG] provides conditions for the creation of personnel files.
Employers:

  • Are responsible for the accuracy and the accuracy of the data in the employee file;
  • May not record more data in the personnel file than necessary, and the data must be relevant;
  • Must inform employees, including information about what data they are collecting, for what purposes and on what legal basis;
  • Must protect the personal data appropriately to not get lost or fall in the wrong hands;
  • The personal data may not be kept longer than necessary;
  • Must offer employees the opportunity to view their data – this applies in principle to the entire employee file – and possibly to rectify, limit or delete them;
  • Employees must individually point out the right to object when processing data on the grounds of the legitimate interest;
  • Where appropriate, workers should offer the possibility to exercise their right to data portability.

If you want to know what documents to include in the employee file in the Netherlands, please download our free e-book.

It will provide all necessary documents to include in the personnel file. It even included the retention periods for each of the documents.