How to track employee documents and employment contracts

How do you track employee documents?

Document tracking starts with fixing your document types and naming rule up front. Each document then gets a version, an end date where relevant and an access level. One place then shows what is valid, what needs renewing and who may see it.

1. List your document types. Contracts, addenda, undertakings, diplomas, certificates, health reports.
2. Set a naming rule. For example employeeno_type_yyyy-mm-dd_v2: employee number, type, document date and version.
3. Agree a version rule. The newest upload is the valid one; earlier versions go to the archive and nothing is overwritten.
4. Record the end date. For fixed-term contracts, certificates and health reports, store the expiry or renewal date with the document.
5. Collect read confirmations. Keep the date each employee confirmed reading a rule or undertaking.
6. Grant access by type. Special category documents need their own permission.
7. Review on a schedule. Check regularly which documents expire in the next 30 days.

Which employee documents need date tracking?

Date tracking matters for any document whose validity ends or needs renewing. Fixed-term employment contracts, professional certificates and job-specific health reports belong here. Missing the end of a fixed-term contract can risk the relationship turning into an indefinite one without anyone deciding so.

What does Turkish law say about the form and term of employment contracts?

Under Article 8 of Labour Law No. 4857 (İş Kanunu), an employment contract needs no special form unless the Law says otherwise, but contracts of one year or longer must be in writing. Where no written contract exists, the employer must give the employee a document setting out the working conditions within two months at the latest.

Article 11 defines a fixed-term contract as a written one tied to objective conditions, such as completing a specific piece of work. Back-to-back fixed-term contracts without an essential reason are treated as indefinite from the start,, hence the need to watch end dates. Text: Labour Law No. 4857, Legislation Information System.

Under Article 6 of KVKK (Türkiye's Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data), health reports and criminal records are special category data; processing them requires the adequate measures set by the Personal Data Protection Board. Text: Law No. 6698.

Where do shared folders and email fail for HR documents?

Shared folders and email attachments keep the document but not the facts around it. Which version is valid, when the document ends and who opened it are stored somewhere else or nowhere. The gap usually shows up during an inspection or a dispute.

• Version confusion: Names like contract_final_v3_fixed.pdf hide the valid text.
• Missed end dates: A fixed-term contract's end depends on a separate calendar reminder; delete it and the date is gone.
• No read record: Whether a policy reached an employee depends on a signature sheet or an email reply.
• Wide folder rights: Folder access opens health reports too.
• Copies in circulation: Attachments stay in inboxes indefinitely.

How does Sora İK track employee documents and contracts?

In Sora İK, every document is classified by type and attached to the relevant employee card. The record holds its version history, validity date if any and read confirmation, and actions including downloads go into the audit log.

Today you choose from nine fixed types: the contract, hiring paperwork such as ID, diploma, certificate, residence and military papers, two special category types (health report, criminal record) and other. A new upload pushes the old version into the history, still downloadable. One list shows what has expired or will within 30 days.

Read confirmation is set per document and tied to the version, so each new upload needs a fresh confirmation. It timestamps the employee's statement and does not replace a wet or secure electronic signature. Files may be PDF, JPEG or PNG, 10 MB at most; the format is checked from the content, not the extension.

On the roadmap: addendum, confidentiality undertaking, privacy notice and policy types, company-defined types, company-wide policy publishing with group assignment, a read report with a list of who has not yet confirmed, and documents generated from templates. For plans, see Sora İK pricing. Product details: Document & Contract Management — full feature list.

What should IT check when storing employee documents?

Once employee documents travel through shared folders and email, nobody can say who still holds which copy. Keeping documents in closed storage, putting special category types behind their own permission and logging each download narrows that risk.

• Closed storage: Sora İK keeps files in storage that is not open to the internet, and storage keys carry neither file names nor personal data. Users whose permission has been checked download through a short-lived link.
• Separate permission: Health and criminal record documents open only for the employee and holders of the special category permission. Line managers cannot open their team members' documents.
• Download log: The audit log shows who downloaded which version.
• Links, not attachments: Emailed files spread; have employees open them in the application.
• Role design: Limit who can upload and delete documents through roles. See the HR software security guide and the KVKK in HR guide.

Modules that work with document management

Documents attach to the personnel record, most arrive at onboarding, and roles limit access. The guides below explain these links.

• Digital personnel file guide: Document groups, steps for moving from paper to digital and access rules for managing personnel files.
• Onboarding and offboarding checklist: Paperwork, SGK notification, account and equipment steps for joiners and leavers, with owners and timing.
• HR software security guide: A vendor-neutral IT checklist for role-based access, two-step verification and audit logs.
• KVKK in HR guide: KVKK compliance for employee and candidate data: privacy notices, legal bases, retention, destruction and access.

Frequently asked questions

How should employment contracts be stored?

Keep the signed original in your workplace archive, and attach the scanned copy to the employee's record with its type, signature date and end date if any. Keep its version history and limit access to HR and authorised roles. Agree retention periods per document type with your legal adviser; a scan does not replace the original.

How do you track documents that are about to expire?

First, store the end date in the document's own record; a date in a separate calendar drifts away. Then list documents expiring in the next 30 days on a regular basis and give each one an owner who decides on renewal or ending. For fixed-term contracts, make that decision before the end date.

Should you keep old versions of a document?

In most cases, yes. In a dispute you may need to show which text an employee signed or read on a given date. The new version becomes valid and the old one moves to the history undeleted. Decide how long to keep old versions alongside your personal data retention policy.

Who can download documents, and is it logged?

Grant download rights by role: HR and the employee should be able to open the employee's documents, and special category documents should need an extra permission. In Sora İK, each download is written to the audit log with who downloaded which version and when. The company owner and system administrator can export the log as CSV.

What is the difference between a personnel file and document management?

A personnel file is the record holding an employee's identity, job, pay and history. Document management runs the life cycle of the documents attached to that record: version, validity date, read confirmation and access. Put simply, document management is the document layer of the personnel file. For more, see the digital personnel file guide.