Keeping records is not 'storing files'. It means being able to retrieve complete and coherent evidence, even years later, in a short time. The most common risk is not that a record is missing today; it is that you cannot find it or prove its integrity when asked for it.
1) What to keep: records, corrections, and incidents
Storing only clock-ins and clock-outs is insufficient if you cannot later explain discrepancies. Also keep: corrections with reasons, approvals, incidents, leave, and shift changes relevant to provide context.
Example: if a day has fewer hours worked due to medical leave, the clock-in record without the associated incident appears as 'absence'. Keeping the context avoids misinterpretations.
2) Backups and recovery: prove you can restore
Having a backup is not enough. You must be able to restore from it. Define frequency, retention, redundancy, and a recovery exercise (at least periodically) to ensure the plan works.
Example: a company discovers in an inspection that the backup was incorrectly configured and months of data are missing. That risk is avoided with a simple restoration and verification test.
3) Access and privacy: keep it, but control it
Keeping data implies protecting it: role-based access, access logs, and clear policies for exports. A good system allows access when appropriate, and blocks it when not.
Example: allowing mass exports without control is a privacy risk. On the other hand, exporting by location and period with permissions reduces exposure and maintains compliance.
4) Example: a request for records from 3 years ago
If you are asked for records from an old period, you should be able to extract them in the same format and with the same level of detail as current records, including corrections and reasons.
The maturity test is simple: can you deliver what is requested in hours, not days? If not, the problem is not 'storing'; it is a system problem.
5) Win-win: less stress and more security
For the company, well-managed retention reduces risk and response time. For the HR team, it avoids 'archaeological searches' every time there is a request.
And for the worker, it protects rights: what was worked is reflected and available, not lost in boxes or old drives.