Are recruiting and hiring step-by-step Process Guides public documents?

Recruiting and Hiring as a function is a little different than most HR topics. Most HR resources are either defined as accessible to:

• All-staff (public folder)
• Manager resources (restricted manager-only folder)
• HR resources (restricted HR-only folder)
  The decision about where to file the documents is straightforward.  For example, Process Guide for Managers - Involuntary Terminations

The recruiting and hiring function, however can be more ambiguous.  The decision about who does what lies with your company and availability of HR resources.  Let's explain: 

1. In some companies, end-to-end recruiting and hiring process is HR's responsibility.  HR staff open, advertise, review applications, shortlist, interview, and conduct references. The Hiring Manager only gets involved when conducting final-stage interviews with candidates presented by HR. 
2. In some companies, the Hiring Manager is responsible for all steps except for finalizing the employment contract. 
3. In most small businesses, responsibilities are staggered.  HR and Hiring Manager are responsible for some components, a Hiring Manager may delegate some areas such as reviewing applications or conducting phone interviews, and an administration level position may be responsible for all administrative work such as setting up interviews and communicating with candidates.   

So, are the 4 step-by-step process guides related to recruiting and hiring public or restricted documents?  

• Process Guide for Staff - Opening and Advertising a Position
• Process Guide for Staff - Tracking Applicants
• Process Guide for Staff - Interviewiing
• Process Guide for Staff - Checking References and Hiring

The answer is that it's up to you.  We recommend that:

• The recruiting and hiring Process Guides are made accessible to all-staff since they don't discuss confidential or sensitive information.  
• Any sensitive documents or templates that the guide refers and links to are restricted and saved in restricted folders accordingly.  For example, OP-MGR-2435-M Justification for Adding Unbudgeted Position is a form that is completed by Hiring Managers to justify a new position.  But even if left blank, the form asks some sensitive questions that may be misunderstood by non-managers, and therefore should be restricted.   When a non-manager reviews the guide and tries to link into a restricted resource, they would receive a message that access is restricted. Non-managers will also become accustomed to the visual clue that if a document ID includes -MGR-, it will not be accessible by non-managers.