Sample Document Retention Policy
SAMPLE DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY
The corporate records of ACME, INC. and its subsidiaries (hereafter the “Company”) are
important assets. Corporate records include essentially all records you produce as an employee, whether
paper or electronic. A record may be as obvious as a memorandum, an e-mail, a contract or a case study,
or something not as obvious, such as a computerized desk calendar, an appointment book or an expense
record.
The law requires the Company to maintain certain types of corporate records, usually for a specified
period of time. Failure to retain those records for those minimum periods could subject you and the
Company to penalties and fines, cause the loss of rights, obstruct justice, spoil potential evidence in a
lawsuit, place the Company in contempt of court, or seriously disadvantage the Company in litigation.
The Company expect all employees to fully comply with any published records retention or destruction
policies and schedules, provided that all employees should note the following general exception to any
stated destruction schedule: If you believe, or the Company informs you, that Company records are
relevant to litigation, or potential litigation (i.e., a dispute that could result in litigation), then you must
preserve those records until the Legal Department determines the records are no longer needed. That
exception supersedes any previously or subsequently established destruction schedule for those records. If
you believe that exception may apply, or have any question regarding the possible applicability of that
exception, please contact the Legal Department.
From time to time the Company establishes retention or destruction policies or schedules for
specific categories of records in order to ensure legal compliance, and also to accomplish other objectives,
such as preserving intellectual property and cost management. Several categories of documents that bear
special consideration are identified below. While minimum retention periods are suggested, the retention
of the documents identified below and of documents not included in the identified categories should be
determined primarily by the application of the general guidelines affecting document retention identified
above, as well as any other pertinent factors.
(a) Tax Records
. Tax records include, but may not be limited to, documents concerning
payroll, expenses, proof of deductions, business costs, accounting procedures, and other
documents concerning the Company's revenues. Tax records should be retained for at
least six years from the date of filing the applicable return.
(b) Employment Records/Personnel Records
. State and federal statutes require the Company
to keep certain recruitment, employment and personnel information. The Company
should also keep personnel files that reflect performance reviews and any complaints
brought against the Company or individual employees under applicable state and federal
statutes. The Company should also keep all final memoranda and correspondence
reflecting performance reviews and actions taken by or against personnel in the
employee's personnel file. Employment and personnel records should be retained for six
years.
(c) Board and Board Committee Materials
. Meeting minutes should be retained in perpetuity
in the Company's minute book. A clean copy of all Board and Board Committee
materials should be kept for no less than three years by the Company.
(d) Press Releases/Public Filings. The Company should retain permanent copies of all
press releases and publicly filed documents under the theory that the Company
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