Sec. 1 Purpose
This policy provides procedures for the creation, protection, maintenance, and storage of official employment records for employees of The University of Texas System Administration (U.T. System Administration).
Sec. 2 Principles
To satisfy federal and state regulatory requirements and to meet operational needs, the Office of Talent will maintain an official employment record for each employee.
Sec. 3 Content and Maintenance of Employment Records
3.1 All employment records should be submitted to the Office of Talent for maintenance. Duplicate files or copies maintained outside the Office of Talent are not considered to be official employment records. All department copies should be sent to the Office of Talent upon the employee’s separation from employment at U.T. System Administration.
3.2 All employment records, including benefits and medical records, will be maintained securely and access will be restricted based on the content of each record.
3.3 Employment records are kept in accordance with U.T. System Records and Information Management policy (UTS 115) and Records & Information Management policy (HOP 4.1.6), adhering to the minimum retention periods and exceptions outlined in the Records Retention Schedule.
Sec. 4 Access to Employment Records
4.1 Employee Access.
a) A current employee may request to review their employment records through the Office of Talent. The request should be made by email to talent@utsystem.edu. Employment records will be made available, to the extent the records are not excepted from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act or otherwise confidential by law, within a reasonable time after a request and during standard business hours.
b) Requests to obtain copies of employment records must be submitted through the Texas Public Information Act request process outlined in U.T. System policy, Compliance with the Texas Public Information Act (UTS 139), unless otherwise authorized by the Office of Talent department head. Access to records is subject to applicable confidentiality requirements and legal exceptions.
4.2 Access by Designated Personnel. Appropriate U.T. System personnel will have access to employment records as needed for job-related functions.
4.3 Public Access.
a) The Texas Public Information Act provides that all employment records of an individual employee, except information that constitutes a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or information deemed confidential by law or otherwise excepted from disclosure, are subject to public disclosure without the consent of the individual employee. Employees must elect whether to allow public access to information in the custody of U.T. System that relates to their home address, telephone number, emergency contact information, or whether they have certain family members. Privacy preferences may be updated at any time through the Talent Profile in PeopleSoft Employee Self-Service or by contacting the Office of Talent.
b) All third-party inquiries about and requests for employee records will be handled in accordance with UTS 139. Former employees are considered third parties for purposes of this policy.
Sec. 5 Costs and Charges
U.T System Administration may recover costs for retrieving, copying and postage to send public records, in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act.
Definitions
Benefits Records - documents relating to the employee’s benefits, including, but not limited to, the following: retirement documents, tax-sheltered annuity documents, benefit plan enrollment forms, beneficiary information, garnishments, and any leave requests not related to medical reasons.
Medical Records - documents of a sensitive medical nature, including, but not limited to, the following: injury reports, notes and reports from a health care provider, Family and Medical Leave Act medical documents, requests for reasonable accommodation, disability leave documentation, leave requests due to medical reason, documentation of sick leave pool requests, and benefits claim forms.
Employment Records - official documents relating to the employee-employer relationship with U.T. System Administration including, but is not limited to, the following: appointment letters, employment application, resume, employment verifications, performance evaluations, grievances, disciplinary actions, benefits records, medical records and reports or charges filed with an external entity such as the Equal Employment Commission or Texas Human Rights Commission. The Office of Talent maintains this file.
Contact Information
Questions about this policy should be directed to talent@utsystem.edu.
Third-party public information requests should be made according to the guidance provided on the U.T. System Open Records website.
