Why does it exist?
The main function is quite obvious; in the Russian Federation, the work book serves as the main evidence of the length of service (both labor and insurance) of a citizen, without which it is impossible to register a pension and accrual of social insurance benefits. This document is also required:
- to reflect data on all changes in the employee’s activities, transfers and positions held;
- to record information about the reasons for dismissal from work;
- to record awards.
This is very important information, which can subsequently be reflected only in a single copy (during the liquidation of an enterprise, for example). Therefore, the employer must ensure that the document form is filled out correctly and responsibly by qualified employees. More on this later.
Rules for maintaining and registration, who prepares
The basic rules for filling out and registration are contained in instructions for maintaining work books; 2021 is not yet forecast to lead to major changes to the statutory procedure. Various printing organizations are engaged in production, the form is called a “work book”. All entries are made only by the employer.
General rules
| Requirements | Contents and rules |
| Number in order | Must have for every post |
| Dates | Arabic numerals in the form xx.xx.xxxx (day, month, year) |
| Ink color | Black, purple or blue, ballpoint, gel and fountain pens can be used |
| Abbreviations | Not used, all entries must be neat and readable |
| Language | Russian or other official language (in the republics of the Russian Federation) |
| Strict compliance of the recording with the order | Entries on hiring, dismissal, transfer or change of position, place of work, changes in qualifications, rewarding of an employee are made in strict accordance with the order; the number and date of the order must be indicated |
| Deadlines for depositing | For an employee who works for more than 5 days, it is mandatory to have a work book. If it is the employee’s first, the employer must ensure that the document is completed no later than 7 days after the employee starts working at the enterprise |
| Employee familiarization and assurance | All records must be familiarized to the employee against signature on a personal card, where the records are duplicated |
| Error correction | Crossing out or other correction is not allowed (depending on the section); instead, an additional entry is made indicating which information is considered invalid, after which the correct information is entered |
Title page: filling rules
The maintenance of work books and entries in them are thus made according to strictly established rules, which also apply to the design of the title page. It is filled out by the first employer, and the correctness of the information entered is certified by the employee’s signature.
Information indicated on the title page:
- last name, first name and patronymic in full accordance with the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. If the surname changes during work, a correction is made, and the old surname is crossed out;
- Date of Birth;
- education data is entered on the basis of the education document provided by the employee. If a citizen receives additional education, information about him is entered without any corrections to old data;
- specialty is indicated in the nominative case;
- Date of completion;
- signature of the person responsible for filling out with a transcript, signature of the owner.
Maintaining a work section
Algorithm of actions, general rules:
- first of all, in the third column the name of the organization is indicated - both full and abbreviated, or the stamp of the enterprise is affixed;
- then below in the first column the serial number of the record is entered, in the second - the date of reception of the employee;
- in the third column it is recorded that the citizen has been accepted into the department or division for the corresponding position;
- The fourth column must indicate the date of recording the information and the order data.
When transferring to another organization, information about dismissal is first entered, then about admission to another company. When transferring within an enterprise, information about the transfer is simply recorded with the data listed according to the above algorithm; only the third column will contain information about the transfer to a new position (permanent transfer).
When registering a dismissal, special attention should be paid to filling out the third column. It must be filled out in accordance with the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and have a link to the corresponding article of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. When registering a dismissal, all previously made records are certified by the person responsible at the enterprise, the organization’s seal is affixed, and the dismissed employee also gets acquainted with the records, which must also be certified by his signature with a transcript.
Maintaining the awards section
Information is entered according to an established algorithm in the designated place. The section is maintained according to general rules. First, the full and abbreviated name of the company is written, below in the first column is the entry number, in the third column it is deciphered for what the citizen is awarded and what the reward is. An indication of the award order is also required.
Rules for filling out a work book
Filling out a work book in 2021 is carried out for an employee who has worked at the main place of work for at least five working days. These include freelance, temporary, and seasonal employees who are subject to compulsory social insurance. The work book of part-time workers is kept at their main job; in cases of its loss (due to the fault of the employer), a duplicate is issued.
Filling out a work book with incomplete or abbreviated information is not permitted. Each entry is “assigned” a specific serial number in the section. The date is filled in only with Arabic numerals, with the day and month written in two digits (for example, 01, 05, 12, etc.), and the year is written in four digits (for example, 2020).
When applying for employment, the applicant’s work book is checked for authenticity and consistency of the data indicated on the first page with the passport data. The information on the title page must certainly be certified by the official seal of the organization with which the person began his career - without it, the document is considered invalid.
If violations are detected or the Labor Code is missing, the employer issues a new one. If there is no record of resignation, filling out an appointment record is unacceptable, since the fact of dismissal is not legally confirmed and the employee is “registered” at the previous place of work.
Data on penalties imposed are not reflected in the work book (with the exception of dismissal at the initiative of the employer). Filling out a record establishing the period of continuous work experience and periods of work not included in it is strictly necessary.
The work book contains three sections:
- employee information;
- information about work;
- information about rewards.
Filling out the title page of the work book (that is, the first section) includes filling out information about the employee (full name, date of birth, education received and specialty). All entries are made without abbreviations, on the basis of a passport and education diploma. The employee checks the correctness of the data and signs. The HR specialist responsible for filling out the work book also puts his signature. Filling out the title page must be certified by the official seal of the organization. In the second section, data about the job is filled out, indicating the organization, position and date of admission, transfer or dismissal.
The completion of each entry must be confirmed by an order and certified by a seal. The work book in the third section includes remunerations and incentives with the dates of receipt and details of the supporting documents. If any of the sections are completed, HR officers fill out a special insert.
How and where should they be stored?
The rules for maintaining and storing work books are established by the legislator; the employer’s task is not limited to filling it out correctly; ensuring the safety of this important document is also extremely important.
It has been established that work books must be stored in a specially designated, safe place. Usually a tray or box in an iron cabinet or safe is selected for this. It is imperative that a book is drawn up to record the movement of work books and their inserts, and a personnel department employee responsible for its maintenance is appointed.
Legislative regulation of the issue
Regulatory regulations for maintaining and storing citizens’ work records are set out in a number of documents:
- Article 66 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation , which defines a document recording a person’s work activity and length of service, declaring the employer’s responsibilities for maintaining and storing work books;
- Articles 5.27 and 13.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation , regulating penalties for violations of the regulations for maintaining documents prescribed in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation;
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 225 of April 16, 2003 “On work books” , which prescribes the rules for drawing up, filling out and storing documents, establishing their sample, as well as the standard for the insert in the work book;
- Resolution of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation No. 69 of October 10, 2003 “On instructions for filling out work books . The Directive contains clear instructions on how to properly maintain a work book, how and in what order to make entries and possible edits.
In April 2021, the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation published a draft order approving a new procedure for maintaining labor books, which in the near future is intended to replace the current Rules for maintaining and storing labor books, adopted in 2003.
Officials have already announced a number of changes aimed at simplifying some of the rules for preparing work record forms.
Copy: issuance rules
A copy of the work record is required for submission to the authorized bodies in order to confirm the length of service. A properly certified copy is a document indicating the citizen’s employment.
How to obtain and certify a copy:
- first, copies are made of all pages of the document containing records;
- copies are certified by an authorized employee of the organization;
- the copy is signed by the head of the personnel department, for internal documents it is written “correctly”, the date of completion is indicated, the sheets are endorsed by the person in charge, and an indication of his position and a seal or stamp is required;
- On copies for other organizations, it is necessary to indicate the storage location of the original.
How to provide information about an employee
The first employer will have to fill out basic information about the future employee:
- first name, patronymic, last name;
- birthday;
- what kind of education;
- profession.
The organization takes this information directly from the originals or notarized copies of the provided personal documents - passport, diploma, etc. The rules for making an entry in the work book oblige each new position to be recorded with the signatures of the employer and employee. After entering all the data and checking the information, the employment record is stored in the personnel department of the company.
An important addition: if a person changes some personal data during work (for example, last name and/or first name), then they must be immediately updated in the work book at the current place of work.
Moreover: information such as qualifications or level of education must also be supplemented if they are updated. For example, when, when hired, a person had an incomplete higher education, and in the process received a diploma of higher education.
Duplicate: filling rules
A duplicate is a document that has the same validity as the lost original. In fact, this is a re-issued work book. It is issued in accordance with the rules for maintaining and registering work books. A citizen writes a statement about the loss of a document from his last place of work and asks for a duplicate. Filled out according to general rules.
If a citizen has already worked in another organization, then in the duplicate, in column three, data on the length of service prior to joining this organization is indicated. They are presented in general form; length of service is calculated without indicating the position and company, if it is confirmed by relevant documents. Then the length of service is deciphered on the basis of written evidence of the activities carried out, indicating the name of the employing organization, dates of hiring, dismissal, transfer, names of position and department, qualifications and profession, specialty, while the documents provided are indicated in the fourth column.
If there is data on a transfer within the organization, this is also recorded. Then the date of dismissal is indicated in the second column, and the reason in the third. If the forms submitted by the employee do not contain all the required data, only those that are available are entered. HR department specialists must make copies of certificates and return the originals to the citizen. The employer, whenever possible, assists in obtaining proof of length of service.
Registration of a duplicate
If the book is lost or damaged, the employer issues a duplicate of it. To receive, the employee writes an application for provision. Information about periods of work at other enterprises is restored using available documents: orders, employment contracts, etc. In the form being replaced, the data is indicated as follows:
- First, the length of service is general and continuous, established based on the evidence received for all previous employers.
- Then the company issuing the duplicate completely fills out by date those sections that were used during the person’s service in this place.
It is the employer’s responsibility to help restore information if the form is lost.
Liner
The insert is also prepared according to the specified instructions on maintaining and compiling work books. It is filled out when there is no space left in the main form (it must be taken into account that maintaining information about work in the section intended for maintaining information about awards is not allowed). It has the same legal force as the main document, but is invalid without the main form. A note on the design of the insert must be contained in the main document. The insert is sewn into the work book.
What is included in the work book besides information about the work
The work book reflects not only information about the hiring and career advancement of the employee, but also:
- on the awarding of state awards, including the conferment of state honorary titles;
- on awarding certificates of honor, conferring titles, awarding badges, diplomas;
- on other types of incentives provided for by local, regional and federal regulations, as well as collective agreements, internal labor regulations, charters and discipline regulations;
- about the time of military service, service in internal affairs bodies, the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, institutions and bodies of the penal system, tax police, customs, authorities for control of the circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;
- about the time of training for the purpose of advanced training or retraining.
Entries about bonuses provided for by the remuneration system or paid on a regular basis do not need to be made in work books.
When issued upon dismissal
Records of dismissal are made on the last working day, and on the same day a document on the length of service must be handed over to the person, filled out in accordance with all established rules for its execution and maintenance. If the citizen does not appear for it, it is necessary to send him a notification about where and when it can be subsequently received. A citizen can agree to have it sent by mail to a specific address. The work book is kept for 75 years.
Legal documents
- Rules for maintaining work records in the Russian Federation
- Labor Code of the Russian Federation
Filling out the work book insert
If the work book is filled to capacity, a special insert is sewn into it. The instructions do not indicate a specific location for the binding, but most often it is sewn after the last page.
On the title page (or cover) of the main book, in the stamp “Insert issued”, its number and series are recorded. The registered insert becomes an integral part of the work record book. The numbering of entries continues; filling out the insert, starting with the title page, is carried out similarly to the main book.
If filling out the form (work book or insert) is not “successful” and it is irreparably damaged, then it is liquidated in accordance with all the rules for the disposal of strict reporting forms (a report is drawn up by a specially created commission). Outdated forms of forms are destroyed in a similar way.
