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Switzerland |
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RETENTION PERIOD |
BEGINNING OF RETENTION PERIOD |
LEGAL REFERENCE |
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EMPLOYMENT RECORDS |
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Contracts (new hire agreements, severance, etc.) |
Maximum 5 years (10 years in certain cases) |
From employee termination |
Art. 127 and Art. 128 Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR) |
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Time records (work hours, rest periods, vacation/sick/holiday, etc.) |
Maximum 5 years (10 years in certain cases) |
From employee termination |
Art. 127 and Art. 128 Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR) |
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Performance records (performance reviews, promotions/demotions, licenses/certifications, investigations, disciplinary actions, etc.) |
Maximum 5 years (10 years in certain cases) |
From employee termination |
Art. 127 and Art. 128 Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR) |
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Data and personnel files |
Maximum 5 years (10 years in certain cases) |
From employee termination |
Art. 127 and Art. 128 Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR) |
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Government verification records (work papers, immigration, eligibility to work, etc.) |
Minimum 10 years (15 years for tax documents) |
From employee termination |
Tax laws. Social security legislation. Public laws on immigration. |
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Collective bargaining/union |
Duration of company's life |
N/A |
Best practice based on Civil Procedure Code; Expiry of limitation period for claims |
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Background checks and drug tests |
Hired employees: Duration of employment contract |
Employees: Date of hire |
Best Practice based on Data Protection laws |
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Acknowledgements, policy agreements and required notices |
Duration of the company's life |
N/A |
Best practice based on Civil Procedure Code; Expiry of limitation period for claims |
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Recruitment (interview notes, resumes/CVs, reference checks, etc.) |
Minimum duration of employment contract. No retention in case the employee is not hired (except in case of potential litigation). Maximum 10 years |
Employees: From date of hire |
Art. 127,Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR) |
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Tracking/recordings (biometric, geo-location, online tracking, camera recordings, etc.) |
n/a not authorized in Switzerland |
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Registration of work and rest periods (in appropriate format) for professional drivers |
Minimum 2 years |
End of calendar year |
Art. 23, Sec. 3 Ordinance on Work and Rest Periods |
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BENEFIT/PENSION/EQUITY RECORDS |
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Benefits (plan documents, enrollment records) |
Minimum duration of employment contract. Maximum duration of company's life |
From employee termination |
Art. 127, Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR); expiry of the limitation period for claims arising from the employment contract; Best practice based on Data Protection laws |
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Pension records |
10 years |
From end of obligation to perform pension benefits |
Art. 27j, Ordinance on Occupational |
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Equity records |
Maximum 5 years (10 years in certain cases) |
From employee termination |
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PAYROLL/WAGE/TAX RECORDS |
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Payroll and wage data (payslips, etc.) |
Minimum 10 years |
End of calendar year in which record was created |
Art. 958f Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR), tax laws |
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Tax records |
Minimum 10 years |
End of calendar year in which record was created |
Art. 958f Federal Act on the Amendment of the Swiss Civil Code (Part Five: The Code of Obligations) (Obligationenrecht, OR), tax laws |
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MEDICAL/SAFETY/LEAVE RECORDS |
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Leave (family, medical, etc.) |
Maximum 5 years |
From employee termination |
General Best Practice based on Data Protection laws |
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Injury and illness incident reports |
Maximum 5 years |
From employee termination |
General Best Practice based on Data Protection laws |
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Medical records |
Maximum 5 years |
From employee termination |
General Best Practice based on Data Protection laws |
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Hazardous material and other exposure records |
Minimum 10 years |
From last use of material or last exposure |
Art. 13, Sec. 2 and 3 Ordinance on the Protection of Workers from Risks related to Exposure to Biological Agents at Work (Verordnung über den Schutz der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer vor Gefährdung durch Mikroorganismen, SAMV) |
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Floor plans |
duration of company's life |
N/A |
Civil Procedure Code. expiry of the limitation period for claims |
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Duration of company's life |
end of company life |
Art. 13, Sec. 2 and 3 Ordinance on the Protection of Workers from Risks related to Exposure to Biological Agents at Work (Verordnung über den Schutz der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer vor Gefährdung durch Mikroorganismen, SAMV) in conjunction with Radiation Protection |
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Duration of company's life, Maximum 40 years |
From end of company life |
Art. 13, Sec. 2 and 3 Ordinance on the Protection of Workers from Risks related to Exposure to Biological Agents at Work (Verordnung über den Schutz der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer vor Gefährdung durch Mikroorganismen, SAMV) in conjunction with Radiation Protection |
