Practices of Personal Records Keeping among Employees in Tanzania: A Case of Selected Tertiary Colleges in Tanzania

This study was carried out to assess the practice of employment personal records keeping among employees. The specific objectives of the study were to identify types of employment personal records kept by employees, to find out the place of keeping personal records by employees, to explore the impact of keeping employment personal records by employees, to determine the reasons influencing employees to keep their personal records and to determine the challenges facing employees in keeping their personal records. The study used descriptive survey design while simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 154 respondents. Primary data and secondary data were used while questionnaire and interview were used to gather primary data. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings indicate that there are types of employment personal records kept by employees such as appointment letter, confirmation letter, performance letter, promotion letter, annual leaves, employment letter, next of kin form, salary slip, birth certificate, educational certificates, awards, promotional letter, marriage certificate and title deed. The study also found that different places and means are used to keep records such as in the offices and home using special bags and computers. It was also indicated that employment personal records has potential benefits such as easy retrieval of information, easy tracking personal files, usefulness of information, getting their rights and for the future reference. Also to increase awareness, enhancing accuracy, increasing confidence and enhancing decision making. The study came up with challenges facing employees in keeping their personal records such as low level of awareness among employees to keep their personal records effectively and efficiently, misplacement of equipment used to store or keep records, quality of equipment or any mechanism used to keep records, inadequate space and lastly technical skills. Generally, the study concluded that there is the practice of personal records keeping among the employees at TPSC and DIT. The study recommended that there is a need to have training for better personal records keeping, space provision, budget allocation, and policy.