Understanding employment history
Employment history provides context about an employee's professional background and career trajectory. For HR purposes, this includes both their history before joining (external) and their journey within the organisation (internal).
External history
- Previous employers
- Roles and titles
- Dates of employment
- Skills developed
Internal history
- Start date
- Promotions
- Role changes
- Transfers
External employment history
Information collected about work before joining the organisation:
Pre-employment records
Internal employment history
- Original hire date: When employment began
- Position changes: All roles held within organisation
- Department transfers: Movements between teams
- Pay history: Rate changes over time
- Performance records: Reviews and outcomes
Continuous service matters
Accurate employment history is crucial for calculating continuous service, which affects leave entitlements, redundancy pay, and long service leave. Ensure your records accurately track service breaks and returns.
Why employment history matters
HR operations
- Calculate entitlements
- Track career progression
- Support performance reviews
- Inform succession planning
Compliance
- Leave calculations
- Long service leave
- Redundancy pay
- Record keeping obligations
Common history tracking mistakes
Incomplete records
Not recording all position changes, transfers, or pay changes. Gaps in history make entitlement calculations difficult and can lead to compliance issues.
Wrong start dates
Using incorrect employment start dates affects all service-based calculations. Verify and maintain accurate original hire dates, accounting for any rehires.
No effective dates
Recording changes without dates makes history reconstruction impossible. Always capture when changes occurred, not just what changed.
Key takeaways
Accurate employment history records are essential for HR operations and compliance. Track all internal changes with effective dates, maintain complete records, and ensure the information supports entitlement calculations.
RosterElf's employee management helps Australian businesses maintain organised staff records and track employee information over time.
