The majority of legislation generally recognizes the validity and probative value of documents that are natively electronic (i.e., created as electronic originals), subject to compliance requirements.
Natively electronic documents in Belgium (which don’t require signatures) are generally allowed in the employment context as long as the form for the record isn’t specified by law. Some HR records may require the employee’s agreement in order for the document to be sent and stored electronically. For example, there must be a mutual agreement between the employer and employee in order to electronically send and archive:
the individual account;The agreement between the employee and employer should specify which documents are included. After the calendar year in which the agreement is signed, employees (and employers) can request to stop sending and storing these records electronically. In this case, the employer would then need to revert to paper transmission and archiving. Employers, as appropriate, can also store additional employee documents electronically with both the consent of the employee and a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The employer’s work rules should be provided to employees individually and can be provided electronically as long as the employee agrees. Note that employers should keep evidence of the employee’s receipt. Work rules must be retained at each workplace and can be stored electronically as long as all employees can easily access the electronic document. A posting of where to locate the work rules should be displayed. In cases where some employees can’t easily access the work rules, a hard copy should be retained (ex. Factory workers who don’t have computer access at work).
Ultimate Software's HR Compliance Assist team relies on a network of internal and external compliance experts and lawyers to provide clients with best practices and recommendations on topics such as HR document retention, employee data privacy, and HR electronic records. HR Compliance Assist also provides local compliance monitoring and alert services in select countries where Ultimate Software's customers have employees. HR Compliance Assist is a service exclusively available to Ultimate Software customers.
