E MAIL The Husky Harness UW Best Practices Training

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT MY ? It’s a record s may contain evidence of official University actions, decisions, approvals or transactions. It can be requested in Public Records Requests, Audit, and Litigation Each UW employee is individually responsible for handling and maintaining records (including University and other electronic records) in accordance with University policy and requirements.

DOES THE “ E ” IN STAND FOR …. ….Electronic?

N OPE. E = E VIDENCE ! is subject to Public Records Requests, Audit and Litigation. If its recorded,If its a record it’s a record.you are liable for it.

PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE Public Records Requests $ per day per item PAWS v. UW (expensive!) Litigation-Case Law A corporation is sued for fraud. It fails to preserve the appropriate records that will prove its case. Plaintiff awarded $1.6 billion. Coleman Holdings v. Morgan Stanley An employee sues a corporation. The defendant fails to preserve the appropriate records that will prove its case. Plaintiff wins $29.3 million. Zubulake v. USB Warburg Microsoft spends an average of $20 million per litigation

H OW LONG DO I HAVE TO KEEP MY ? It depends on the type of information included within the . Two types of  Transitory  Valued: Treasured! Esteemed! Precious!

TRANSITORY S Most of your s. Retention is limited to office use. s that assist you in your job but have no “value” from an administrative, legal, or fiscal viewpoint The information is temporary or passing Can be deleted as soon as the reference purpose has been met.

EXAMPLES OF TRANSITORY S Preliminary drafts Example: Working Papers Routine requests and/or replies for information Example: Disposition Notification for box disposal received by your department. Reference or informational s The announcement of the new policy Meeting set-up/accept requests Announcements, reservations, confirmations, itineraries, form letter thank you notes Acknowledgements Duplicates Document Errors (superficial corrections)

TRANSITORY S If you are cc’ed on an and do not need to take action DELETE If you are cc’ed on an and need to take action DELETE after action taken Any s that you receive as information or do not directly apply to you (including the whole string) DELETE

I S ALL MY TRANSITORY ? No Most of it is Delete when no longer needed All other must be retained for a designated amount of time Includes messages sent and received

T HE OTHER TYPE : E MAIL WITH VALUE Has Value Administrative Fiscal Legal Historical/Archival The value is based on the content not the format More permanent in nature Must be retained per a UW records retention schedule

W HAT NEEDS TO BE KEPT The content in the following categories must be maintained for specific retention periods: Policy Procedure Approvals

W HAT NEEDS TO BE KEPT (C ONTINUED ) Instruction regarding the implementation of substantive decisions regarding matters of University business. Legal or audit issues, Approvals for purchases or other actions to be taken, Final reports or recommendations, Documentation of departmental/office actions, decisions, operations and responsibilities, Confirmations of items ordered online with a Procard or CTA, Receipts for purchases made electronically.

W HERE D O I FIND THE RETENTION PERIOD ? For transitory As soon as its use has been fulfilled, delete. General Schedule, section 4 es/gs/general/uwgs4 For that has to be retained: It’s what’s inside not outside that counts. General Schedule es/gs/general Departmental Schedule

E XAMPLE : L OCATING AN ITEM ON THE GENERAL SCHEDULE ProCard approvals Section 7 of the General Schedule: Research and Grant/Contract Records Paper or Electronic, the retention is the same:

D O I HAVE TO PRINT MY ? Transitory ? No, delete when reference purpose served of Value? Don’t print Don’t save to desktop Keep the in electronic format If its just the attachment can save as a PDF to shared drive Not crazy about PST files Either choice results in the same outcome: Employees are responsible for making sure their and paper records remain accessible and readable for the full retention period—along with the metadata of the

A ACH ! I HAVE RECORDS EVERYWHERE ! H ELP !

H OW DO I MANAGE MY ? The KISS method Keep It Simple, Sweetie

C HOOSE ONE, CHOOSE THEM ALL Actively Delete Manage by folders Search Sort Tag Touch it once But most of all: KEEP IT SIMPLE!

H OW DO I DELETE MY ? Regardless of the “client” you use, there are two steps to deletion Mark the for deletion It is now gone from your folder; however, it is still in your deleted items. It is still auditable, and available for public record requests. Delete the (second step is SO important) Once you have completed the second step, the is gone. It cannot be retrieved. Similar to being physically shredded. Delete on a regular schedule End of week End of month

M ANAGE BY FOLDERS Create folders based on your needs Project Subject, Employee, Client Standing meeting Create subfolders for more detailed information Budget

FOLDER TITLES Clear, concise, and relate directly to the s that will reside in the folder Many times, the title can be taken directly from the subject line Note: One subject per Once the project or function is completed, note the retention period in the folder title

S EARCH, S ORT AND T AG Locate and group specific messages that have characteristics in common.common. Same topictopic Same personperson Budget/transaction approvals Meeting minutes Use “Categorize” to Color Code s Keep the whole “conversation” together Both sent and received are in the same location

W OW. W HERE D O I BEGIN ? Start today. Pick one topic, folder, or issue and begin the process. Use search function to group like items Start creating folders Start deleting Take these steps and you will begin building the habit of managing your inbox.

H OW BIG IS YOUR INBOX ?

T HE FOUR D ’ S Delete it Information found elsewhere? Delete! Do it If it takes 2 minutes or less, then do it NOW! 30% of all can be addressed in this manner. Delegate Identify the most appropriate person to respond to the . Delegate and delete. Defer it If it will take longer than 2 minutes, flag or color code it for easy identification of pending issues. Place on your “to do” list by dragging over to your “tasks” list.

AND A ‘ F ’ FOR GOOD MEASURE File it Create folders that apply to the function of your office: Projects Transactions Standing meetings Budgets Employees Place all requiring retention in the appropriate folder. When subject is closed, identify retention date on folder title.

E XAMPLE : F ILING E MAILS s documenting employee work problems Considered part of Grievance Files or Complaint Files Attorney-client privilege s File with other s based on subject, not confidentiality.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO MANAGE MY ? Do you need it? Consider other modes of communication which might be more efficient or effective. Is it necessary to create and send "information only" s? Is it necessary to distribute this information to all of the listed recipients? Limit your cc's to those people who need the information. Avoid replying to messages you receive unless a reply is actually required. Be objective Subject to public information requests and may be accessed during litigation or audits. Create each as if it were being published on the front page of the Seattle Times. One subject per message Limit the content in each message to one subject. If there are several unrelated subjects to discuss, send individual s for each subject. The messages will be easier to track, find, use, and eventually delete.

ANYTHING ELSE? YES! Subject line—use it to control the chaos! Use subjects lines that are clear, concise, and closely articulate the purpose or action requested in your When replying to , try to avoid including a long “thread” in your response. Not all of it will have a retention period, forcing you to retain more data than necessary. Stick to the subject when forwarding Review the original subject headings and make sure it applies to the response that you are sending. Outlook can be set to not include the original message in your reply. At the top of your inbox click Tools -> Options -> options. You can choose to change the automatic response to "Do not include original message" when reply or forwarding messages.

I’M A MANAGER, WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW? Schedule a quarterly or yearly records cleanup time for your office. Include an item in your new employee checklist to orient them to records responsibilities. Establish an office procedure for setting up accounts that allows access to by others in the office in case of absence. Establish general protocols which ensure everyone in the office is managing their in the same way.

WHAT ABOUT FORMER EMPLOYEES? Supervisors or administrators are responsible for managing records associated with a separated employee in accordance with UW policies and procedures. Before the employee leaves, determine which s should be retained and which should be deleted. Arrangements should be made to transfer the that must be retained to another employee.

W HY SHOULD I CARE ? You’ve managed paper, and the same rules apply to . Penalties from bad public record requests Audit problems Litigation Costs As an UW employee, you are required to maintain your records.

1 GIG = 167 BOXES OF RECORDS 70 BOXES

P LUS 70 BOXES

N OW THAT IS ALL A LOT OF RECORDS ! PLUS 26 MORE BOXES = 167

Y OU CAN DO THIS 70 to 80 percent of your is transitory. Delete it Create folders for the remaining 20 percent. Remember the Ds and 1 F Delete it Do it Delegate it Defer it File it But most of all, Keep It Simple Sweetie (KISS)!

QUESTIONS? Barbara Benson