Section 100
Proc. 130
Subject: Personnel File and Release of Information
Effective: 07/01/78
Revision (5): 07/01/2015
A separate folder containing personnel data for each individual employee in UTSI is maintained in the Human Resources Office according to UT Policy HR0130. Such file constitutes the official personnel file of the employee. With appropriate notice, employees may review the contents of their folders within the Human Resources Office.

Each employee is invited to complete an Authorization of Disclosure form, which restricts the release of information from the employee’s personnel file to what has been authorized by the employee on the form. (However, Tennessee law permits the inspection of all information contained in a personnel file by any citizen of the State of Tennessee. However, the law provides confidentiality for certain information, and this information should, whenever possible, be redacted from the personnel file prior to public disclosure. See subject policy for additional information.) The absence of an Authorization of Disclosure form in a personnel file will be interpreted as an open file. There may be exceptions to the Authorization of Disclosure form such as:

Necessary responses to national salary survey, without by-name identification;
Requirements of federal, state, or local law; or
Response to a physician who is seeking to inform an individual of a possible medical problem.