№4(15)(2013)

From January 1, 2013 due to changes in legislation a new division of orders by type was introduced and, therefore, usual procedure for organization of orders in cases has also changed

Administrative activities in organizations of all types of ownership are carried out by fixing managerial decisions in regulatory documents.

Orders and prescripts are administrative documents.

Procedure for registration of administrative documents, their organizing in case, storage is determined depending on which type of order. Thus, different types of orders are generated in some cases within a calendar year and registered on separate registration forms.

Distribution of orders by types is based on such criteria as term for storing documents (ie fixed term for storage, after expiry of which document can be sent for destruction) and conducted in accordance with one of the basic regulations in field of management - a List of typical documents produced in activities of state and local governments and other enterprises, institutions and organizations, indicating timing of storage.

From 1 of January 2013, Ukraine has a new List of typical documents produced in activities of state and local governments and other enterprises, institutions and organizations, specifying storage period for documents approved by the Ministry of Justice from 12.04.2012, № 578/5 (registered with the Ministry of Justice from 17.04.2012, № 571/20884, hereinafter - the List #578/5).

According to Art. 16 of List #578/5, there are four groups of orders:

• on core activities;

• on administrative and economic issues;

• on Human Resources issues for long term storage;

• on Human Resources for temporary storage period.

NOTE

According to previously valid List of typical documents with terms for storage (Order of the Main Archival Administration under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 20.07.1998 № 41) they singled out six main groups of orders: from core activities, with administrative and economic issues, on human resources (personnel); on business trip; on vacation; on disciplinary sanctions. List of 1998 repealed due to introduction of a new List 578/5

Orders on core activities

With orders on core activities (hereinafter - orders on CA) are documented, in particular, issues on establishing and restructuring of organizations or their divisions, creation of collective bodies and committees (eg, expert committee, delegation of administration officials to the Commission on Social Security), production activities, planning, pricing, delegation rights to sign or approve documents.

Shelf terms for orders on CA vary depending on whether organization is referred to subjects forming the National Archival Fund (NAF) or not.

Entities forming NAF include, for example, public authorities, most academic institutions. Function of determining whether documents created within your organization belong to NAF, is responsibility of state archives.

GLOSSARY

National Archival Fund – is a set of archival documents that tell history of spiritual and material life of the Ukrainian people and other peoples, have cultural value and is property of the Ukrainian nation.

Documents of the National Archival Fund - archival documents, cultural value of which is recognized with relevant expertise and subject to state registration and storage (Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine "On National Archival Fund and Archival Institutions" from 24.12.1993 № 3814-XII)

For orders on CA issued by institutions – participating in NAF, a permanent storage is set up. In other organizations, orders on CA are stored till organization is liquidated.

Orders on administrative and economic issues

Order – is one of the main components in workflow of any organization. The longer a company exists, the greater is volume of documents produced in it. At the same time, with time storing all documents becomes unwieldy burden to organization – there is just not enough space for paper, which is accumulated progressively. Thus not all the information that needs to be documented, has long practical importance. For example, an order to transfer working days in 2013 is important for companies within 2013. However, already in several years, information about the fact that in 2103 company worked on 29 April and 3 May was off, has no practical value.

It is for optimization of workflow, they allocate a separate group of orders on administrative and economic issues. According to Art. 16 of List #578/5, the shelf life of such orders shall be five years. After this period is expired, orders of this type can be sent for destruction, and therefore at least a little bit, but still some storage space shall free up for other documents.

Orders on human resources issues

List #578/5 set two groups of personnel orders:

• Long shelf life - these orders are to be kept for 75 years;

• Temporary storage period - for such orders shelf life is 5 years.

Orders on personnel issues with long term storage include orders on:

• hiring;

• transfer to another position;

• introducing or canceling combination of professions (positions);

• firing;

• training;

• assignment of rank (increasing rank, category);

• changes in curriculum vitae (in connection with marriage or divorce, change of name, proper name);

• incentives (awards, bonuses).

Also this group includes all orders on wages, including premiums, co-payments, providing financial assistance.

In companies that do not create NAF documents (almost all business organizations), orders on personnel issues with long term storage include also instructions on approval or changes in staffing.

This group includes some of the orders granting leave, namely in respect of granting leave to care for a child, leave without pay, any holiday for workers with heavy, harmful and dangerous working conditions.

Moreover, long-term business trips and travel for employees with serious, harmful and dangerous working conditions are documented with orders on human resources with long term storage.

Reference

Orders on human recourses with temporary shelf life are orders on short business trips within Ukraine and abroad; orders imposing disciplinary measures; orders on annual basic and additional holidays, holidays in connection with training, vacations for employees with children (art. 19 of the Law of Ukraine "On leave").

Working with orders

Originals of orders, issued and signed by heads of organization, are formed in cases within calendar year, according to types in the List #578/5. In 2013 any organization must provide four cases with orders.

Orders are registered in individual registration forms. Thus, in 2013 organization should provide not only four cases with orders, but four logs:

• Log book for orders on core activities;

• Log book for orders on administrative and economic issues;

• Log book for orders on human resources with long term storage;

• Log book for orders on human resources with temporary storage period.

Log orders are information-reference tool for work with orders. Each log is saved as many years as the case with orders. For example, log of orders on human resources with long term storage for 2013 will be kept for 75 years.

At the end of 2013 in each log should be made a final entry specifying number of registered documents, last dates, last numbers (if errors are found, in  log should be noted with brief explanations, such as "Order for # 101 is not issued, number is skipped due to technical error"). If log book has enough room for recording orders in the next year, it is prohibited by rules for document keeping continuing registration in the same log. It is important to remember that numbering orders in the new year should start with number 1.

Distribution of orders by type considering features of particular organization

List #578/5 defines overall distribution of orders by type, but in practice it may be necessary to adapt this procedure under specifics of organization. For example, the List assigns on staffing with orders of long-term storage (75 years) and they are to be formed in the personnel department. If accounting departments takes care of these issues in your company (drafting orders, stores signed originals), you can select a separate subgroup of orders on staff. When selecting a subgroup, it has to be formed in separate case and is included in range of cases of accounting department. A separate log also should be provided for such cases.

Features for composing headers in summary orders in 2013

Depending on contents of order they distinguish:

• simple (individual) orders on personnel matters - contains information about administrative action concerning an employee;

• complex (summary) orders on personnel issues - relating to several employees.

Consolidated orders should be prepared in large organizations. While consolidated order may fix management decisions on many workers, supervisor sign only one document, so there is a real time-saving for major official person in organization.

Title of individual order on personnel must include information about employee and appropriate management decisions, such as "On employing Zadorozhniy O.S.", "On providing part of basic annual leave for Vasko V.V.".

Number of employees and management actions that can be reduced to one complex order is not limited with rules on paperwork. The only rule is: this paper can reduce issues with the same shelf life (75 years or 5 years). Thus, one can order to hire Ivanenko, transfer Petrenko to another position, fire Zaychenko, and provide Kovalevskaya with leave for child care.

One order can be issued on annual leave for Lyashko and leave for training for Dmytrenko. But you can not add to that order a leave for child care for one more worker, because information on such leave shall be kept for 75 years.

It is usually impossible to list in title of consolidated order all persons to whom it applies (volume header exceeds all reasonable limits). This is why headers of consolidated orders are formulated with generalizations: "On personnel issues with long term storage" or "On personnel issues with temporary term of storage".

At last piece of advice: do not forget to familiarize employees with orders on personnel to which they refer. On an individual order can be issued a separate mark for review, consolidated order is usually added with review sheet.