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 Louisiana (LA), 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 specific provisions applicable to public records. For private sector employees, the right to access personnel files is not established by a general state law. Employers in the private sector may have their own policies regarding access to personnel files, but these are not mandated by state law. Employees who are interested in viewing their personnel files should inquire about their employer's specific policies. It's also important to note that while Louisiana does not have a broad statute on this matter, there may be specific regulations or laws that apply to certain industries or situations, so employees should seek advice from an attorney if they have questions about their rights in this area.