Keep Your Receipts: An easy way to keep yourself protected

Have you ever heard the phrase “keeping your receipts”? And no, it doesn’t relate to hoarding your grocery store receipts. It’s slang for keeping proof or evidence.

Whether you’re looking to proof of the work that you’ve done before going for a promotion or you just want a collection of your wins and accolades, it’s a great idea to have a “receipts” folder - something you can access on your private accounts should you ever need them.

What’s a receipts folder?

A receipts folder can include screenshots of managers or co-workers applauding your work, actual proof of some of the projects you’ve done, organization charts, general company policies, any contracts or agreements you have with the company (employment, GDPR, Work From Home Policies, Stock options, etc) and emails or slack posts that you think could come in handy. It should not be trade secrets or anything illegal for you to keep, but really just proof of the great work you have done, communications with colleagues that back this up, and anything that really affirms your place at the company.

This can be super helpful during a performance review: think of it as a collective highlight reel of your greatest hits, that you can easily reference and showcase if asked. It can also serve as a reminder to you of your accomplishments, in case you’re ever feeling like you need a

How does this fit into labor law?

Having a receipts folder can be very helpful if you ever find yourself in a legal battle. Proof of the work you were doing, recognition for your work, the org chart and policies can be helpful in court to prove the process for terminating your contract wasn’t done correctly. You will also want any agreements you’ve signed (a reminder again, always in wet ink!) which you can then reference in court if needed.

Is this necessary for everyone? Or only people who think there might get let go from their company?

This is of course a precautionary measure, but one you will be very happy you followed if the time ever requires it. Most of the time, people aren’t able to predict if and when an unfair dismissal will be coming, so making it a practice to protect yourself will likely prove valuable in the long-run.

So our advice: keep your receipts, but hope you never have to use them!