Files for architects and designers
Beyond ID, address and bank proof and PAN, keep degree certificates, relieving and experience letters from earlier employers, the signed appointment letter, and the confidentiality and design ownership undertaking. For architects, keep the Council of Architecture registration certificate with its renewal date, since submissions and some client contracts ask for it. Portfolios are not HR documents, but a note of the projects each person worked on helps later when writing an experience letter.
- ID, address proof, PAN and bank proof
- Degree certificates and marksheets
- COA registration and renewal date
- Experience and relieving letters
- Appointment letter and confidentiality undertaking
Interns and their colleges
Interns need a different set: the college's request or no objection letter, the training period, the faculty coordinator's contact, the signed internship letter with stipend terms, and at the end, the completion certificate and any evaluation form the college requires. Keep interns under their own employment type, so their documents and dates stay separate and it is easy to see which interns finish this month.
Fit-out staff and night work
Site coordinators and fit-out supervisors carry a few extra documents: a driving licence if they drive to sites, emergency contacts, safety training certificates with expiry dates, and, for women who agree to night fit-out work, their written consent. Some malls and corporate buildings ask for police verification or ID copies before issuing a site pass; keep these in the employee's file rather than on a supervisor's phone.
Renewals, access and freelancers
Record expiry or renewal dates when documents are verified, and look through the document reports monthly for anything falling due. Salary and bank details should be visible only to the principal, accounts and HR, which role-based masking takes care of. Freelancers do not belong in employee records; keep their agreements, invoices and NDAs with accounts, so the HR system reflects only employees.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- List the papers each role must hold, such as COA registration for architects, college letters for interns and consent forms for night fit-out work.
- Verify or reject uploads, recording renewal or expiry dates for registrations, licences and safety certificates.
- Store appointment, internship, confidentiality and experience letter templates by category in the HR letter library.
- Each month, check the document reports for registrations and certificates due for renewal.
- Mask salary, bank and contact fields for everyone except the principal, accounts and HR.
- When a client, college or auditor needs a copy, send a time-limited download link.
Read more about employee documents in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What records should an architecture firm keep for each architect?
ID and address proof, PAN, bank details, degree certificates, experience and relieving letters, the appointment letter, a confidentiality undertaking, and the Council of Architecture registration with its renewal date. Keep notes of project involvement as well, which help when writing experience letters later.
What documents does a design studio need for interns?
The college's request or no objection letter, internship dates, the faculty coordinator's details, the signed internship letter with stipend terms, and at the end, a completion certificate and any evaluation form the college requires. Keep them under the intern's own record.
Should freelancers' documents be kept in the HR system?
No. Freelancers are not employees, so their agreements, invoices and NDAs belong with accounts. Keeping them out of employee records keeps headcount, payroll and statutory reports accurate, and avoids blurring who is actually employed by the firm.
Why track COA registration renewal for architects?
Architects keep their registration current with the Council of Architecture, and clients and authorities often ask for the number on submissions and contracts. Record the renewal date when you verify the certificate, and check upcoming renewals every month so nothing lapses unnoticed.