Save It Shred It Delete It? Developing Best Practices for Record Retention and Destruction

Federal and state laws and regulations require organizations to keep specific paper and electronic records for set periods, but the rules overlap and conflict. This 90-minute record retention and destruction training sets out best practices for staying compliant.

You'll learn which records must be kept and for how long, requirements by department, and the rules of the IRS, Department of Labor and other agencies. The session covers how to judge record importance and sensitivity, map the lifecycle of records, and why keeping too much can be as harmful as keeping too little.

You'll also see best practices for imaging paper records, organizing files, safe destruction under the DIN 32757-1 standard, defensible schedules and common agency penalties.

• Identify which records must be kept
• Set retention periods for each category of records
• Apply IRS, Department of Labor and other agency requirements by department
• Destroy old records safely and defensibly
• Organize paper and electronic records for quick retrieval
• Avoid common penalties and fines
• Choose electronic tools to manage record retention

• What the law requires for record retention
• Which records must be kept and for how long
• Requirements by department and from the IRS, Department of Labor and other agencies
• Best practices for retention and destruction
• Identifying and safely destroying old records: do's and don'ts
• Best practices for imaging paper records
• Organizing electronic and paper files for faster access
• Judging record importance and sensitivity
• When keeping too much is as harmful as keeping too little
• Determining the lifecycle of records
• Differences between paper and electronic procedures
• DIN security levels and the DIN 32757-1 standard
• Record schedule defensibility and improvements
• Common agency penalties and fines
• Electronic tools for managing retention

Consistent records management reduces litigation exposure and regulatory criticism. Anyone who has been through a wage and hour audit, unemployment claim, workers' compensation hearing or lawsuit knows the value of good records.

This session suits department managers, accounting, HR and benefits staff, business owners and anyone who builds or maintains a records retention program.

• Department Managers
• Accounting staff
• HR staff
• Employee benefits professionals
• Business owners
• Anyone who wishes to increase or refresh their knowledge of Record Retention and Destruction
• Any employee responsible for developing and/or maintaining an effective records retention, access and destruction program
   

Candace Curry Leuck is owner of Athena Finance Group, Inc. specializing in strategic planning, distressed entity recovery, valuations, and educational programs. Athena's mission is to pursue and communicate the information clients need. This is accomplished through a cooperative working relationship. Based on solid strategy, the outcome is an expansion of the opportunities of those served. Candace was associated with Ernst & Young in the tax and then auditing area, serving small, midsized and SEC clients during her tenure. She gained significant experience with various industries including manufacturers, automobile dealerships and securities brokers. Upon leaving Ernst & Young, Candace pursued and obtained her Masters of Professional Accountancy from Clemson University and proceeded to her career in the educational arena, teaching at Clemson University, Furman University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She returned to Clemson in the Fall of 2006 and remained through Spring of 2012. In addition to undergraduate and graduate education, Candace has developed and taught various continuing education courses in both live format and through webcast technology.