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 Oregon, employees have the right to access and inspect their personnel files. Oregon law requires both public and private employers to grant employees access to their personnel records. Under ORS 652.750, employees can request to view their personnel records within 45 days of the request. Employers are also required to provide a copy of the personnel records if requested by the employee. The law stipulates that an employee can make such a request twice in a calendar year. Additionally, if an employer places any disciplinary or adverse action document in an employee's personnel file, they must provide a copy of that document to the employee within a specified time frame, typically within a few days of the document being placed in the file. This ensures that employees are aware of any negative entries that could affect their employment status or opportunities for advancement.