HR tasks to tackle in the last quarter of the year
We’re almost there! Dare we be brave and say we can almost smell the turkey and hear the party poppers ringing in the new year, but before all the celebrations begin there’s a list of HR tasks that need tackling before the year is out.
These are the jobs that have quietly slipped down your to-do list, so it’s important to set some time aside in order to get these done and see in the new year in a much stronger position.
Check employee contracts
It’s always a good idea to regularly check your employee’s contracts. Roles, responsibilities and hours can change over time, so it’s important that the paperwork reflects this. Make sure the appropriate updates are made if an employee has changed their hours recently or perhaps have a few more responsibilities. Changes should be confirmed within one month of them taking place, but ‘better late than never’ is our motto!
Review HR policies and documents
One we’re obviously passionate about is businesses reviewing their HR policies and documents regularly. The final quarter of the year is a good opportunity to review and consider whether you need to update policies such as sickness absence, holiday and annual leave, flexible or hybrid working, disciplinary and grievance procedures, equality, diversity and inclusion, to name a few.
Have you updated the necessary policies in time for any legislative changes?
You do not necessarily need to rewrite everything every year, but a regular review can highlight where something has become outdated or no longer reflects how your business operates. Some policies however are legally recommended to review e.g. sexual harassment, so make sure you have this covered.
Check annual leave
It’s a busy time of year with potentially more than one employee wanting to take time off. Check how much annual leave your employees have left and remind them of any deadlines to take these or the provisions if you allow them to carry leave over into the next holiday year.
Identify any training needs
If there are any gaps in your team’s knowledge or any training/support that managers need, now is the time to identify it and invest in some training. This doesn’t always mean sending them on an expensive course, it can be done via mentoring or job shadowing or internal training.
The important bit is that if they have requested it, or you have identified the gap, then ensure those conversations are happening to follow these through.
Think about your future workforce
No-one knows what will happen next year, so it’s important to think about what your future workforce will look like.
It’s also important to think about succession planning. What happens to your business when you decide to retire? Have you got plans in place if you can suddenly no longer work, or even pass away? What if one of your key workers stepped down?
More unusual tasks
Of course, these are all some of the more obvious HR jobs to tackle at the end of the year, but there are plenty of less obvious ones too, including:
Checking who has access to company systems. To comply with GDPR, make sure only those who need access, have access.
Check on your work-from-home staff. Are your arrangements for keeping them safe still appropriate?
Review emergency procedures. Would everyone know what to do if the workplace had to close unexpectedly, a key employee was suddenly unavailable or there was an emergency?
Review flexible working arrangements. Have informal arrangements crept in over the year that aren't reflected anywhere? Perhaps someone now works different hours or works from home more regularly.
Check employee milestones. Have you missed important work anniversaries, qualifications or other milestones? These can be good opportunities to recognise employees.
Think about critical dates for next year. Make a calendar of probation reviews, fixed-term contract end dates, training renewals, important policy reviews and other HR deadlines so they don't sneak up on you.
While this is quite a substantial list, you don’t need to spend every waking moment of the final quarter of the year completing all of these tasks. It’s best to identify the ones that need immediate attention and make a plan for the year ahead.
Taking a little time now could mean fewer HR jobs hanging over you when January arrives.
If you are not sure whether your HR documents, processes or contracts are up-to-date, we provide HR support for small businesses and can be an extra pair of hands to help you make sure those less obvious tasks don’t get overlooked.