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In this article the authors explain how a new system has been designed to work in conjunction with existing databases to ensure a consistency of approach to retention scheduling across a variety of media and formats. The system allows for the whole life‐cycle of a record to be pre‐defined at both record series and file level. The reports produced by the system enhance a retention schedule programme that not only meets the needs of the records manager, but also serves as a ‘user‐friendly’ point of contact between himself and the users he serves. The authors will briefly explain the existing approach taken to retention scheduling at Pfizer Central Research, Sandwich and will demonstrate how this new ‘Electronic Retention Schedule’ (ERS) will enhance the current system of publishing advisory ‘guidelines’ for users and implementing ‘annual reviews’ of record holdings held in a number of different storage formats.

Records management has undergone an unprecedented process of change in the last few years. This has been chiefly due to the proliferation of information technology and the rapid pace of organisational change. It is my belief that current criticisms of the retention schedule as a records management tool are largely justified because the traditional retention schedule programme has failed to keep pace with these changes. This paper proposes that the full potential of the retention schedule has not been recognised in many organisations. It argues that if it is possible to identify overall retention requirements at a series level it should also be possible to identify other properties and descriptive values that can also be assigned to each series in advance of records creation It then discusses the range of such properties that it is possible to define at this point and begins to explore how, if automated, these values can act not only as the basis of future systems design, but can also be used as the point of control for virtually all records management functions.

Provides a review of the main features of the software available in the market that deal with retention management. Reviews a range of recently published works discussing retention management features and establishes a list of criteria. Reviews the most important and widely available software tools for retention management against these features and makes a comparison. Provides information about each how each criterion is satisfied by the reviewed tools and gives an overview on how the industry approaches retention management. Reveals that the list of the reviewed software is not exhaustive; also, the evaluation could have included more information on the tools and examples of how they can actually be used. Maintains, however, that this is a very useful source of information and impartial advice for everyone interested in retention management. Especially useful is the discussion on the future issues identified. Fulfils an identified information need for a discussion on how existing systems deal with retention management and offers help to an individual who wants to carry out research in this area.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the practice of records retention in relation to statistical records and to provide answers and solutions to the challenge of retention from two perspectives: by offering some recommendations on how to approach the identification of validated retention periods and by presenting findings resulting from the practical use of this recommended approach.

The research presented in this paper was conducted for the final dissertation of the BSc (Hons) Information and Records Management Programme at the University of Northumbria. A Delphi study was used as the method to achieve the research objectives.

While answers to the question of what retention value should be attributed to records vary enormously depending on who is asked, this research shows that the involvement of end‐users to gather feedback and attempt to reach a consensus of opinions on retention periods is successful and provides meaningful results, and can also help in gaining end‐user support in the subsequent schedule implementation.

Successful implementation of a retention schedule is more likely to happen if end‐users are involved from the start in the design process and if they understand the benefits of this tool. In this respect, involving end‐users in the retention decisions throughout the performance of a Delphi Study has revealed to be very effective and is therefore recommended for attaining similar objectives.

The paper presents a validated method for assigning retention values to records that could be applied by practitioners in other organisations. Further information on the resulting retention schedule can be obtained by contacting the author.

Employees working nonstandard schedules outside the daytime hours of the Monday-Friday work week are increasing. Using Social Exchange Theory (SET), the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize relationships between scheduling preferences, attitudes, and retention indicators.

Survey data were collected from 343 US Postal Service mail processors (day, evening, or night shift; all shifts working weekends) from three cities. Multivariate analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression were used to test hypotheses related to participants’ perceptions of scheduling preferences and attitudes.

The authors found that preferences and attitudes toward shift worked had stronger relationships with each other and employee retention indicators for the night and evening shifts than the day shift, and these same relationships were stronger for the day shift when focussing on days of the week worked.

Although limited by generalizability concerns, this study provides a distinctive application of SET to work schedules and offers a unique perspective on how working nonstandard days and nonstandard times, individually, impact the employment relationship.

Better work schedule management, with increased flexibility and control, may be one way of reducing negative employee reactions to nonstandard schedules.

This study goes beyond the typical examinations of standard vs nonstandard shifts, to study multiple nonstandard shifts and examines the relationships of these schedules on employee retention variables, focussing on both shift and weekend work.

The other day I was at a meeting with several government officials to discuss the establishment of a retention, conservation and disposition schedule for a large, complex, automated information system. Around the table were users, systems people, the head of data administration and the departmental records manager. The first thing that intrigued me about this meeting was that the records manager and the systems people (including the data administrator) had never met each other, even though all had worked in the department for at least 2 years. For someone who was concerned with launching an initiative that would depend on the cooperation of these areas I was more than a little shaken.

The technology of the Internet is increasingly used internally by organisations. The intranet, a private internal network, has become an essential tool in the workplace. It allows the members of such organisations to share information with colleagues who may be geographically separated, and provides a medium for up to date information. At Pfizer Central Research, Records Management are using the intranet to improve communication with user departments, and to develop more effective processes. This paper describes the pages designed by the author, and provides examples of how they are used by Records Management and by user departments. It concludes that the intranet is a great opportunity for records managers to improve the service that they provide to their organisation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the information landscape of organizations by focusing on the evolution of the fields of so‐called records management and data management.

The author draws on his personal experience with the National Archives of Canada.

Records management and data management quite literally mean the same thing. There is no “gap”, as indicated in the title. The only gaps that exist are in the perceptions of what each concept means and the functions and status of the information jurisdictions that have claimed each for their own.

The paper recommends an integration of what has been perceived to be the disparate fields of records management and data management, finding that records or data should be managed from a global and corporately defined perspective

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the determinants of public employee turnover intent and the use of workplace flexibilities, with particular attention on the role that gender plays on the relationship between these two constructs.

Using a cross-sectional quantitative research design, the data collection specifically targeted employees of US municipalities that had a significant portion of their workforce using some type of alternative work schedule. Nine cities from six different states were included in the data collection.

In support of prior research and conventional wisdom, the authors find that the use of alternative work schedules is associated with lower expressions of turnover intent, but this relationship is only significant for female municipal employees.

One limitation of the study is that it is mono-source data. A second limitation relates to the lack of controls for contextual and occupational characteristics. Further research is needed on the relationship between alternative work schedule choice and turnover, particularly exploring how other characteristics might impact the relationship between employment flexibilities and turnover.

Overall, the results of the analysis align with broader observations of the need for increasing workplace flexibilities and scholarship exploring these flexibilities, especially for female employees who are attempting to integrate their work and family responsibilities.

There has been relatively little research exploring the relationship between the determinants of turnover intent and the use of workplace flexibilities at the municipal level of government. This is particularly important given that employment in local government is larger than both federal and state government employment combined in the USA (US Census Bureau, 2017).

The purpose of this article is to assess the new NHS code of practice on records management, published in March 2006.

The guidelines are put into the context of good practice, and changes to the way that medical practice is being delivered. Recent MPS experience of complaints and claims is also used to inform the analysis.

The code of practice includes much that is useful, in particular reviewing the legislation on the subject and providing more detailed retention schedules than the previous guidance. However, there are also some omissions, and some areas where more detail would have been helpful.

Health professionals can take advantage of the new code of practice to refresh their knowledge and, if they have responsibility, review the records management within their own organisation.

The paper highlights the continuing risks of substandard records management.