No federal law gives an employee the right to access and inspect their personnel file maintained by their employer—but some state laws do. Many states require public employers to allow employees to access and inspect their personnel files—and some states require private employers to do so as well.

Some states limit an employee’s right to access and inspect their personnel file to certain documents—and some states require an employer to provide employees with certain documents (such as a disciplinary document) within a certain number of days after it is placed in the employee’s personnel file (known as an adverse-action notice).

Laws regarding whether employees have the right to access and inspect their personnel file—and if so, the circumstances under which they may do so—are generally located in a state’s statutes.

In Idaho, there is no specific state statute that grants all employees the right to access and inspect their personnel files. However, certain public sector employees may have this right under the Idaho Public Records Act. This Act allows citizens to request access to public records, which can include the personnel files of public employees, subject to certain exemptions and conditions. Private sector employees in Idaho do not have a statutory right to access their personnel files, and such access would typically be at the discretion of the employer. Employers in Idaho are not required by state law to provide employees with adverse-action notices or copies of disciplinary documents within a certain number of days after placement in the employee's personnel file. It's important to note that employer policies or collective bargaining agreements may grant additional rights to employees beyond what is provided by state law.