The thread from last week got me to thinking, and a couple of the responses
indicated that some of the participants on the list have a feeling that the
existence of an organizational RM Policy and procedure, supported by
training are not enough.  

It also seems as if some think there needs to be more to ensure employees
understand that managing the records they generate and/or receive during the
course of business are "information assets" belonging to the organization,
and must be managed as such.  I think similar to all other business
obligations, if sufficient information is given to inform them it's their
responsibility, then "Joe and Jane Employee" should be held accountable for it.

In all of the RM Policy statements I've ever written or revised, there is
clear guidance that properly managing information that serves a business
purpose is the responsibility of EVERY employee, and that the management of
the function or business unit they work in are responsible to ensure they
meet those obligations.  In my current organization, we have roughly 8000
employees in roughly 20 functional areas, on a 1 square mile campus.  Our RM
Program consists of 3 employees, supported by 26 Records Liaisons (which is
a part-time responsibility).  The industry is a blend of R&D, High Tech,
Engineering and Science.

We have provided training to newly hired employees, followed up by direct
contacts by e-mail listing the RM Contacts in their local organizations (we
have a Liaison structure) along with the organizational contacts and web
page.  We offer web based training that provides in-house educational credit
if they pass a multiple choice quiz at 80% or better, and it offers
opportunities for them to request further information or make suggestions. 
Those who receive less than 80% can re-take the test, and we also contact
them to see if there is further info to clarify the areas they were unclear
on that we can provide.  The training is not required, but that MAY be
changing soon.

We hold quarterly meetings with our Liaisons, and send periodic mailings out
to give them information on any changing requirements of issues in the news
that may impact how we do business.  The Liaisons then meet with
Administrative Staff in their organizations to pass along the information,
which is then distributed at division level meetings by those
administrators.  When there is extensive information or major changes, the
RM Program also offers to make these presentations at Administrative Staff
meetings.

We have articles in the on-line version of the organization's news
periodically about the benefits of using central storage for long-term
retention records, reminding employees of the definition of a record,
suggesting tips for better management of records in their areas, and
offering training on any RM issues.  And yes, we do remind them that
effective records management is the responsibility of EVERY employee.

One of the critical items for us is ensuring that on separation of
employees, RM (or a Liaison) makes contact with the employee and has them
complete a form that they sign which certifies they are not taking any
records with them when they leave, and also provides the name of a new
custodian of records, to assist with business continuity issues. It's a
requirement we must meet for compliance reasons.

All of the efforts above serve to assist in "socializing the concept of RM"
and there is no question this program isn't perfect, in fact, it has a long
way to go to reach perfection. This is due primarily to insufficient funding
and the volume of legacy content and long-term retention requirements
surrounding a major portion of our records.  But that does not keep us from
doing the right thing on a day forward basis on new information.

The importance of retaining records for this organization *IS* well known,
and the definition of a records is as well. We employ a risk-based approach
to retention which includes determining the business value of the record to
ongoing research and it's reference needs, so in many cases we retain them
longer than the minimum requirement.  Ongoing work to develop local lists of
records by specific title and function has gone a long way towards ensuring
staff knows "what the keep", regardless of how it is received or generated,
and we're working on e-mail but like most other organizations, we're not
there yet.

So short answer?  In our view, it's EVERYBODYS JOB, but it's the RM
Program's responsibility to provide the appropriate tools to assist them in
understanding and accomplishing that.

Larry
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