For at least a decade, many companies have maintained personnel files in two versions: paper – as required by applicable law – and electronic – as demanded by the competitive market. This situation may change if regulations, announced for some time, come into effect. Then, storing HR data in electronic form will become mandatory. It is advisable to prepare for this revolution by implementing systems for HR document e-archiving.
Managing and storing employee documentation is currently one of the most demanding obligations for employers. According to estimates by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the costs of archiving personnel files nationwide amount to several hundred million PLN annually. This stems not only from the sheer volume of documents but also from the stringent requirements for their storage.
Since 2019, retention rules have undergone significant changes. For employees hired after January 1, 2019, the basic retention period for personal and payroll documentation is 10 years, counted from the end of the year in which the employment relationship ceased. This is a significant simplification compared to previous regulations, which required files to be stored for 50 years – this period still applies to older files, unless the employer has submitted a so-called informational report to ZUS (which allows shortening the retention to 10 years).
It is important to remember that regardless of the form – paper or electronic – the storage location for files must meet specific standards. Paper archives require appropriate infrastructure: fire protection, anti-burglary systems, and constant monitoring of environmental conditions. The temperature should be between 14–20°C, with a daily fluctuation not exceeding ±2°C, and relative humidity within 45–60%, with an allowable deviation of ±5%.
Non-compliance with document storage rules is not a minor oversight. The Labor Code clearly states that leaving files in conditions that threaten their damage or destruction can result in a fine ranging from PLN 1,000 to PLN 30,000. In practice, this means that a lack of proper environmental control, damage to files, or their improper security exposes the employer to serious financial consequences.
In many companies, personnel files are associated with heavy binders, overflowing cabinets, and the ritual of flipping through pages in search of a single missing document. For years, HR departments held the belief that “paper is more reliable,” and electronic documentation was treated more as a curiosity than a real alternative. Meanwhile, for several years now, digital format has become the standard, and legal changes only reinforce this direction. E-archiving and e-HR files – in practice, solutions like Rockawork – are no longer an experiment today, but a logical step towards more efficient and secure document management.
A breakthrough occurred in 2019. From that moment, paper ceased to be the only permissible form, and employers gained real freedom of choice. Significantly, the possibility also arose to transfer existing files to digital form – without the need to maintain two parallel archives. It was then that many organizations began to realize that an electronic document could be not only a full-fledged equivalent of paper but also a tool that streamlines daily work. Rockawork enables the digitalization of archives in a legally compliant, transparent, and fully auditable manner.
Another important moment was the 2023 amendment, which organized the structure of personnel files and introduced a new Part E. This part concerns documents related to employee sobriety checks and tests for the presence of substances acting similarly to alcohol. This change covered both paper and electronic documents, meaning that HR systems also had to adapt to the new classification. In practice, only an advanced digital archive – such as the Rockawork e-archive – allows full control over various document retention periods and automatically deletes those that simply cannot be stored any longer.
Increasingly, companies began to think of e-HR files not just as “scans of papers,” but as a complete repository of employee documents – organized, consistent, accessible from anywhere, and better protected than any physical archive. With Rockawork solutions, the HR department can quickly access needed information, and an employee – if the employer so decides – can independently download documents via the employee portal. All activities are monitored, and a complete history of changes builds process transparency.
The digitalization of HR documents also organizes an area that for years has been one of the most problematic in terms of compliance. Paper files were subject to destruction, loss, uncontrolled copying, or even accidental access. Meanwhile, e-archiving systems like Rockawork allow for precise definition of permissions, monitoring of all activities, and automatic enforcement of document retention periods – including those from Part E, whose retention period is significantly shorter than in other parts of personnel files.
For businesses, transitioning to e-files also becomes a way to streamline HR processes as a whole. The electronic form of documents naturally integrates with digital document workflows, electronic signatures, self-service portals, and automation tools. As a result, HR departments transition from passive document administration to active management of employee information, and the company archive transforms from a cost-generating space into an organized, flexible, and fully compliant with labor law requirements. This is precisely the work model that Rockawork enables – not just by digitalizing, but by genuinely improving work organization in HR.
The introduction of e-archiving is not mandatory, but in light of current regulations – and employee expectations – it is difficult to find arguments for maintaining traditional paper files. Electronic personnel files are safer, more accessible, cheaper to maintain, and better align with how companies operate today. Therefore, more and more organizations are deciding to bring order to HR documents once and for all – starting with the digitalization of files and ending with a complete digital document workflow based on Rockawork solutions.
Rockawork also features a workflow module, whose primary function is to automate document circulation. Process modeling, including those integrated with SAP ERP (HCM), can be done via a graphical designer (e.g., approval of employment contract terms, approval of leave requests, or expense report settlement). In the case of Rockawork, the extensive capabilities of the workflow engine and compliance with Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) allow for handling even the most complex document workflow scenarios.
Rockawork – Application in HR:
All HR department employees have access to a task inbox. When a new task arrives in the inbox, the user receives a notification. Importantly, they also have the ability to preview the document at every stage of the process. Furthermore, the tool allows for recording and sharing information about events, changes, and the current status of matters. It is possible to model substitutions and task completion deadlines for selected steps or the entire process. The system also supports escalations in processes.
How to ensure the security of employee data and employment contract records, and how to minimize the risk to information availability, confidentiality, and integrity?
Especially in the context of new European Union regulations on personal data processing (RODO/GDPR), which today pose a huge organizational
and technical challenge for businesses. Since the selection of measures ensuring the security of personal data lies with the entity processing it, the digitalization of personnel files seems the easiest way to achieve compliance with new regulations.
ISO 27018 certification guarantees that the application itself, its delivery model, and the IT technologies used for its maintenance meet stringent data security and confidentiality standards. The most important risk areas subject to verification in the ECM certification process are:
The system architecture has been designed so that the application can be available in a so-called private cloud model. SNP Poland (currently All for One Poland) – based on its own professional and secure All for One Data Centers – can also provide the solution in a SaaS model. As a result – compared to traditional installations requiring the client’s own IT infrastructure – the application can be available almost immediately, without the need for investment outlays on license and hardware purchases, or administration costs.
Additionally, utilizing the outsourcing model enhances all benefits of the solution – basing cooperation on an SLA agreement and transferring risk to SNP results in lower maintenance costs, higher security, and greater system availability in the long run. All for One Data Centers has an integrated management system ISO 27001 and ISO 20000 implemented and certified by independent organizations. Clients who entrust their applications and systems to SNP can be assured that communication follows described procedures, is supported by professional tools, and risk management is focused on systematic organizational improvement and threat minimization.
In summary, capabilities previously enjoyed only by the largest entities, with extensive and geographically dispersed structures and frequent employee turnover, will be available to all organizations starting January 1, 2019. These capabilities include:
It is worth adding that the Rockawork solution also brings unique benefits, especially for companies using SAP systems. These benefits include:
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