Do you have a list of HR tasks you want to tackle?

Now that we’re well and truly in the groove of the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what you want to achieve in the HR space for your business. Whether it’s completing tasks from last year or implementing new initiatives, we’ll explore some of the key items that might be on your HR wishlist and how you can make them a reality.

Task #1: Making difficult decisions

Some businesses might be faced with tasks left over from the past year. What we’re seeing with our own clients is that some of these tasks involve difficult decisions like redundancies and terminations. They’re often necessary for restructuring or aligning the team with new strategic goals, but are understandably difficult processes for all parties involved.

Handling redundancies and terminations doesn’t just require being familiar with employment law to ensure compliance. These processes should also be handled with empathy and transparency towards the exiting team member. We always consider the person on the other end of these decisions, and our approach is always a combination of being people-first and compliant in handling redundancies and terminations. Being compliant and people-first is also a good way to maintain morale and trust within the business and the remaining team members.

Task #2: Conducting an HR Audit

An HR audit might be something that’s been on a business owner or employer’s radar for quite some time now, but haven’t been able to do due to lack of time or resources. It’s really a must-have, especially with how rapidly employment law is evolving with changes and updates.

A good way to get started on this is to look at these key focus areas:

• Compliance: Are your HR documents in place, and are they up-to-date with current legislation? The three main types of HR documents that we recommend all businesses should have are employee handbooks, employment contracts, and position descriptions.
• Compensation and Benefits: This also ties in with compliance as ensuring team members are appropriately compensated means there won’t be any concerns around underpayment. Underpayment is now a criminal offence and carries penalties that range from fines to imprisonment.
• Employee Retention and Turnover: An audit also involves looking at what employee turnover was like in the past year, and the reasons for this turnover rate. This could also involve reviewing performance management processes as well as employee satisfaction and engagement.
• Training and Development: Are your team members getting the training they need to progress in the professional space? An HR audit is a good opportunity to assess the effectivity of your training programs and identify any areas for improvement. Learn about why businesses should focus on training and professional development in our blog.

Task #3: Making your staff feel valued with new programs and initiatives

Does your HR wishlist have a section that focuses on looking at ways to further support your team? We always say that people are the most important resource of any business, and having programs and initiatives in place that support your people can only benefit your organisation as a whole.

Consider implementing new initiatives that show your team that they’re valued, like mental health support and resources, Employee Assistance Programs, skill development programs (as mentioned above, training and development can improve employee retention rates), and more. Of course, the kinds of programs to put in place should also be relevant to your team and business and not generic ones. It’s key that programs or initiatives should be geared towards what your people need and would give them value—it shows that their employer cares about their personal and career growth.

Your HR wishlist can be a reality

It can feel overwhelming to look at your HR wishlist and see the amount of tasks on it. We get it! Running a business and managing people is a huge amount of work on its own. However, the tasks we’ve outlined above are also ones that will benefit any business in the long run (and in terms of compliance, are non-negotiable ones).

Whether it’s completing overdue tasks, conducting an HR audit, or launching new people initiatives, each step will help drive your business forward. We’re here to support you in all things HR—reach out to us and we can talk about how we can tick off those tasks in your HR wishlist. Talk to the team now.