Why HR teams choose MDSS for personnel records management:
Secure off-site storage for personnel files, employment contracts, disciplinary records, and payroll documents
GDPR-compliant handling of employee personal data with full chain-of-custody documentation
Retention schedule management covering the full employment lifecycle and post-termination obligations
Restricted access controls — only authorised HR personnel can request stored employee records
Same-day retrieval for tribunal proceedings, compliance reviews, or urgent HR investigations
Scan-on-demand: employee records emailed as digital copies within hours without physical retrieval
Bulk scanning to digitise legacy paper personnel files and HR archives
Confidential shredding with certificate of destruction at end of retention periods
IT destruction for decommissioned HR devices containing employee data
Suitable for HR teams of all sizes — from SME people functions to large enterprise HR departments
Records Management Built Around the HR Function
HR departments sit at the intersection of two of the most demanding document management obligations any business faces. As custodians of employee personal data, HR teams carry significant responsibility under UK GDPR — for how that data is stored, who can access it, how long it is retained, and how it is disposed of when it is no longer needed. At the same time, HR records must remain accessible — quickly and reliably — for tribunal proceedings, compliance reviews, audits, subject access requests, and the day-to-day demands of a busy people function.
MDSS provides HR teams with a fully managed records service covering secure off-site storage, professional document scanning, and certified confidential shredding — designed around the specific document types, retention requirements, and access needs of the HR function.
Secure, Restricted Storage for Personnel Files
Personnel files contain some of the most sensitive personal data a business holds — employment history, disciplinary records, medical information, performance reviews, remuneration details, and personal contact information. The obligation to store this data securely and restrict access appropriately is explicit under UK GDPR, and failure to do so carries real enforcement risk.
Our access controls ensure that only explicitly authorised personnel — typically HR managers and nominated deputies — can request stored employee records. Every access event is logged and auditable. Documents are barcoded and catalogued on arrival, giving HR teams a complete, searchable inventory of all stored personnel files at all times. Physical security — controlled entry, CCTV monitoring, fire protection — ensures the same standard of protection that a locked HR filing room should provide, applied consistently across an entire archive.
Retention Management Across the Employment Lifecycle
HR records carry different retention requirements depending on their type and the circumstances in which employment ended. As a general guide, personnel files are typically retained for six years after termination. Payroll records should be retained for three years under HMRC requirements. Records relating to disciplinary proceedings, grievances, and performance management may need to be retained for longer if they are relevant to potential litigation. Occupational health records carry extended retention periods.
We work with HR teams to implement and manage retention schedules that reflect these requirements. We monitor retention periods for all stored documents, alert HR teams when records approach end of retention, and manage certified destruction on instruction — keeping your archive compliant and preventing the accumulation of records held beyond their legal basis.
Scanning for Fast Access and Digital HR Workflows
Modern HR teams increasingly work digitally — using HRIS platforms, cloud-based people management systems, and digital document workflows. Legacy paper personnel files sit outside these systems, creating friction, slowing access, and carrying physical storage costs that digital equivalents do not.
Our bulk scanning service converts paper HR archives into searchable, OCR-processed digital files delivered in the format required by your HRIS or document management platform. For ongoing access to physically stored documents, scan-on-demand delivers a scanned copy of any file within hours of request — particularly useful for responding to subject access requests, tribunal disclosures, or management information requests where speed matters.
Confidential Shredding and IT Destruction for HR
Personnel records at end of retention must be destroyed securely — not simply recycled or placed in general waste. Any document containing employee personal data is subject to UK GDPR’s secure disposal requirements. Our confidential shredding service handles end-of-retention destruction of HR records with a certificate of destruction issued for every job, providing the evidence of compliant disposal that your data protection compliance framework requires.
For HR teams also managing the return or disposal of company devices from departing employees — laptops, phones, tablets — our IT destruction service handles the secure physical destruction of data-bearing hardware, with a certificate of destruction covering devices alongside any accompanying paper records. One managed programme, one audit trail.
Our Human Resources Services
Document Storage
Free up your office space and protect your business records with our secure, fully managed off-site document storage — GDPR-compliant and accessible whenever you need it.
Ultra-secure facility
Full CCTV coverage
Fire-proof & climate-controlled
Barcode-indexed inventory
Flexible retrieval options
Document Scanning
Convert your paper records into secure, searchable digital files — reducing your physical archive and giving your team instant access to the documents they need.
High resolution scanning
Smart indexing & metadata capture
Ability to scan up to size A0
Integration into client systems
Flexible pricing models
Document Shredding
Dispose of sensitive business records safely and compliantly. Our confidential shredding service provides certified destruction — with a full audit trail and certificate of destruction as standard.
Certified destruction
Absolute irrecoverability
Compliant with industry standards
Chain of custody
Secure collection & transport
Frequently Asked Questions
Retention periods vary by record type. Personnel files are typically retained for six years after employment ends. Payroll records should be kept for three years under HMRC requirements, though many organisations retain them longer. Disciplinary and grievance records may need longer retention if relevant to potential litigation. Occupational health records carry extended requirements. We help HR teams build retention schedules that reflect these obligations and manage them on an ongoing basis.
Access to stored employee records is restricted to explicitly authorised personnel — typically HR managers and nominated deputies nominated by your organisation. Only these individuals can request retrieval of stored files. Every access request is logged and auditable, providing the evidence of controlled access your GDPR compliance requires. We can also apply additional restrictions to particularly sensitive record types such as occupational health files.
Scan-on-demand means you can request any stored employee record and receive a scanned digital copy by email within hours — without physical file retrieval. For HR teams, it is particularly useful for responding to subject access requests within the one-month GDPR timeframe, preparing tribunal disclosure bundles, and accessing legacy personnel files during management reviews or investigations.
Yes. Our bulk scanning service converts paper HR archives into searchable digital files delivered in the format required by your HRIS or document management platform. Physical originals can be retained in storage, returned, or confidentially destroyed after scanning depending on your retention obligations. We manage the project from collection through to delivery with quality checking throughout.
We collect HR records at end of retention and carry out confidential destruction with a certificate of destruction issued for every job. For records held in our storage facility, we monitor retention periods, alert your HR team when records are due for destruction, and carry out shredding on your instruction. For in-house confidential waste, we offer scheduled collection contracts to keep ongoing disposal compliant.
Yes. Our IT destruction service handles the secure physical destruction of data-bearing devices — laptops, phones, tablets, and hard drives — commonly returned from departing employees or refreshed as part of an equipment upgrade. IT destruction can be combined with document shredding into a single collection and destruction programme, with a certificate of destruction covering all assets.
Yes. We operate as a data processor under UK GDPR and provide a Data Processing Agreement as standard. Chain-of-custody records document every file movement and access event. Access is restricted to authorised HR personnel only. Certified destruction at end of retention provides the documentary evidence of compliant disposal required by your data protection compliance framework.
Yes. We regularly work with HR functions that operate across multiple office locations. We establish collection routes across your sites, maintain a unified personnel records inventory, and provide a single contract and point of contact across the organisation. For HR teams within large enterprises with significant archive volumes, we can provide bulk storage programmes with dedicated account management.
