Know the Code – Records Retention Best Practices

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A message from the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Labor Standards:

It’s that time of year for spring cleaning – at home and at work too.   

April is Records and Information Management Month and the perfect time to take 15 minutes to clean out your desk, your files and anything else you don’t need anymore.

But before you get too enthusiastic, you want to make sure you don’t throw out or delete records you shouldn’t.

Here are some records management tips:

  • Review your department’s Records Retention Policy and Schedule annually and update as needed.

  • Identify and classify the records your department holds.

  • Delete record/data once it is no longer required or after the record retention period has been met.

  • Clean-up physical (desks, desktops, file cabinets, shelves) and electronic (emails, desktop, shared drives) records.

  • Consistency – make sure everyone knows the records retention requirement and consistently follows the requirements.

If you have questions about policies and procedures, you can contact management, or in cases of records retention you can contact DPC Records Services:

You can also report concerns to the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Labor Standards at oec@sdcounty.ca.gov or Agency Business Assurance & Compliance office (for HHSA staff) or call the Ethics Hotline at 866-549-0004.

Check out the OEC webpage on InSite for information about upcoming Ethics & Compliance Program events, training and resources including monthly “Know the Code” articles and micro-training videos.