Monthly Archives: May 2016

Virginia Employee Access to Personnel Files

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By John V. Berry, Esq., www.berrylegal.com

In our legal practice, many current and former employees in Virginia often ask us whether they have the right to obtain a copy of their personnel file or at least have the ability to request and review it. Each state has their own laws and regulations with respect to this issue for private sector employees. Furthermore, government employee (federal, state, county, municipal) requests are governed by different federal, state, county, or city laws and regulations.

Access to Employment Files Vary by State Law

Private sector employees (those employed by companies; the majority of employees) are generally not entitled to a copy of their personnel file in most jurisdictions. Virginia has not yet passed a law requiring private sector employers to provide copies of an employee’s personnel file upon request or in requiring employee access to review and inspect their files. Other states, such as California and Massachusetts, however, have passed laws giving private sector employees required access to their personnel files. The general national trend seems to be moving towards passing laws and regulations that require employers to provide current and former employees access to their personnel files.

Public, Union and Federal Employees Have Additional Rights to their Personnel Files

Private sector employees belonging to unions may have additional rights to review or obtain a copy of their personnel files, depending on collective bargaining agreements negotiated between their union and an employer. Federal employees generally have the right to obtain a copy of their personnel files through the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a. Virginia public sector (State or County) employees have the right to review their personnel files under Va. Code 2.2-3705.1 and Va. Code 2.2-3705.5. In addition, if a personnel matter goes to court, an employee will typically be able to obtain a copy of his or her personnel file through discovery procedures.

General Tips for Virginia Employees and Employers

If employees do not have a statutory or other right to obtain a copy of their personnel file, it is still possible for the employee to ask human resources for a copy of an employee’s file. Even though employers may not have a formal policy on personnel files, human resources will often grant an employee’s request to review his or her personnel file unless they have a reason not to do so.

We also advise Virginia employers to consider allowing employees, under certain conditions, with the ability to review their personnel file even if it is not required. This often has a positive effect on workplace morale and clearly helps to limit suspicion in the company workplace. Such a policy also provides the employer the ability to clearly document that an employee was put on notice where disciplinary or performance actions have been taken. In addition, an employer should certainly have a policy in place that is consistently applied to all employees.

Conclusion

Our firm represents Virginia employees regarding employment matters and requests for information from personnel files. We can be contacted at www.berrylegal.com or by telephone at (703) 668-0070. Our Facebook page can be found at Berry & Berry Facebook Page.

5 Wrongful Termination Tips for Virginia Employees

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By John V. Berry, Esq., www.berrylegal.com

We represent individuals in Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. area when they are terminated from their employment. We represent individuals in wrongful termination cases when an employer terminates a person for some illegal or inappropriate reason. Many issues come into play when an employee is terminated. These types of employment issues are compounded by anxiety, fears, financial concerns and other strong emotions. It is very important for an employee to attempt to handle being terminated the right way because of issues that may arise later.

Here are 5 tips for Virginia employees to consider should they face termination:

1. Handle Termination Professionally: This is the most important tip. As difficult as this can be, an employee should handle their termination without drama. This is usually one of the most difficult things for an employee to do. However, if an individual handles this poorly, it can cause major issues for them later on. Individuals who cannot hold their emotions in check often end up much worse than those that quietly gather their belongings, hold their head high and leave on their termination date. In the worst case, if an individual makes a scene when they are fired, the employer may exaggerate the issue and call the police. Furthermore, leaving in a pleasant manner makes it much easier to settle a wrongful termination case later should the individual consider taking that step. Doing so also reduces the possibility that an employer will challenge a former employee’s attempt to obtain unemployment compensation or cause a problem if the individual later applies for a security clearance or another position.

2. Don’t Take Employer Materials: Individuals should be very careful when leaving employment not to take proprietary employer materials, physical items, data or other employer documents without permission. We commonly see this issue arise when an individual is wrongly terminated, but the employer later claims as a defense that the employee “took” or “stole” materials or proprietary data from an employer. Most of these type of allegations relate to an attempt by the employee to take digital materials with them on their last day, but there are many different types of potential scenarios that can arise.

3. Try to Maintain a Reference for Future Employment: When an employee is fired, the usual next step is for them to find new employment. Even if a prior supervisor will not serve as a reference due to the termination, an individual should see if former supervisors (perhaps those no longer employed by the former employer) or others still employed at the employer will serve as a reference. Having a reference for the period of time worked at the former employment will vastly improve one’s chances of obtaining a new position. Even if an individual has been fired, having someone available who can speak to the former employee’s work/performance ability can go a far way to mitigate the damage of the termination.

4. Don’t Sign an Agreement While Being Terminated: In many cases, employers will try to limit their liability for wrongful termination by presenting potential agreements to employees they are firing on the day of termination. Such agreements might offer a short amount of pay (1-2 weeks) in exchange for extinguishing all of the employee’s rights. Before signing such an agreement it is important to have an attorney review it. Many former employees come to us after they have signed such agreements which makes it very difficult to take any action on their behalf later.

5. Consult with an Attorney about the Termination: Not every firing involves a wrongful termination. However, if an employee believes that they were terminated wrongfully or illegally and are concerned with their rights they should seek legal advice and do so in a timely manner. Many employment rights are time sensitive so they should be evaluated immediately, if at all.

In the majority of employment termination cases that we see, individuals are able to move forward with their career after termination with good planning and preparation. The odds of doing so quickly increase when a termination is handled properly by the former employee.

Conclusion

We represent Virginia employees in their legal defense against employment wrongful termination. If you need legal assistance, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook at Berry and Berry PLLC Facebook Page.