You might have blinked and missed the first two months of 2021. But whilst it may seem like only five minutes have passed since you mapped out your big HR goals at the end of last year, it’s actually time to stop, take stock, and refocus as we enter the new financial year of 2021/2022. Our HR checklist below will help you to stay focused on some of the key tasks for HR in the next financial year.
Your checklist
Have you made provisions for new legislation coming into force in April 2021?
It can be hard to keep up with changes in employment law, but it’s absolutely non-negotiable. Neglect this area, and your business could seriously pay the price. You must regularly be pinpointing relevant changes, and making adjustments to your policies and practices accordingly. If you don’t know what’s coming up, then give us a call – we can bring you up to speed, or come along to our Zoominar on the 21st May, when we will update you on all the latest changes. You can book your seat here; https://www.merakihr.com/events/zoominar-employment-law-update/
Is your paperwork in order?
Having an audit trail of key HR decisions might seem like a dull admin task, but if you don’t put some time into creating and filing (electronically of course!) the right documents, then you may live to regret it. If you run into any problems, it’s you audit trail that could make a huge difference to how you rectify the situation.
Have all of your staff had performance discussions?
If you only discuss performance with your staff once a year in an appraisal, then you’re seriously missing out on so many opportunities. Encouraging your team to thrive should be part of day-to-day processes, but at the very least, then formal conversations should be carried out and recorded once a quarter.
Have you planned the summer holiday schedule?
On the basis that people are desperate to get away once lockdown restrictions are lifted on April 12th, whether that’s in the UK or abroad when we can on May 17th, you need to make sure that you have some people in the business to run the business! The second quarter tends to be the time when employees start to think about booking their summer leave traditionally. The weather’s getting warmer, and everyone wants and needs to enjoy a little downtime. Make sure that you update any holiday policies that you might have if necessary and consider operational demands in advance of accepting all the holidays requests you will be getting!
Have you identified training needs?
Some of your members of staff may need to brush up on their knowledge and skills to keep you moving towards your business goals. Work out where the gaps are, and create your plan so you know exactly what you’re going to do about it. The options are plentiful, and include formal training, coaching, mentoring, job shadowing, and more. If you’re stuck for inspirational ideas of how to train or develop your staff remotely, we’ve got lots of great virtual training sessions now available. https://www.merakihr.com/work/training/
Have your line managers been brought up to speed with your priorities?
It’s pointless setting wider strategic goals if you aren’t going to make sure that the right people are onboard, and know how their work plays a part. The end of the quarter is a good time to bring your management team together for a catch-up and refresh.
Have you collected feedback from your employees?
Identifying potential issues before they get out of hand could save you headaches later in the year. A staff survey could be a great option here. Just make sure that you act on your findings!
Have you arranged a discussion with your payroll provider?
The end of the quarter coincides with the end of the financial year, so if you outsource your payroll, it makes sense to have a chat with your provider so you can ensure that you’re both on the same page. There may be loose ends that need to be tied up, and it’s always best to action these matters in a timely fashion.
Have you commissioned an HR audit?
It can sometimes be hard to take a critical look at your own operations. You might feel inclined to brush tricky issues under the carpet, especially if you’re not quite sure how to tackle them. If you want to get things in order but you don’t know where to start, then it could be massively beneficial for you to work with an external provider so you can take a more objective look at where you really are. If you want a second opinion, then why not book a complimentary HR Health Check in March? Get in touch with us to book your complimentary health check; info@www.merakihr.com
What next?
Making your way through the checklist, with everything that was going on last year, you might have realised that maybe you missed the mark at least once or twice when it came to keeping your people practices in order.
Don’t worry, because you’re not alone. When you’re an HR professional working in a business, you’ve got a lot of plates that you need to keep spinning at any one time. Between dealing with the day to day, transactional HR things like payroll, starters and leavers and everything else that needs your attention, the proactive side of HR can sometimes get put on the backburner.
Here’s the thing though. It isn’t just another task to add to your “to do” list. It can have a real and very tangible impact on your bottom line. At the most basic level, it can ensure that you don’t face costly and reputation damaging legal cases against your business. Embrace it as its full potential, and I don’t need to tell you that it could help the business to increase its profits, create a much happier and more productive workforce, and help you to smash through your strategic HR goals.
So isn’t it time that you started to invest in your professional development, giving your HR practices the dedication, support and expertise they really deserve? Come and join our HR Influencers Club! We have set up the HR Influencers Club for people working in HR who are serious about their role and their career in HR. If that’s you, then you’ll want to work with a group of like-minded HR professionals to learn about emerging best practices and HR trends, share ideas, expertise and knowledge as well as learn about the latest employment law updates from our legal team; Freeths in Oxford.
We’re a friendly and approachable bunch of experienced HR Directors and HR professionals and between us, we have over 100 years of HR experience at HR Director level and have managed and coached HR teams to succeed. Whether you’re an experienced HR professional looking to join a trusted peer group and learn from your peers or new to HR, then we’ve got you covered.
Want to know more? Then book a call with Emma; the Founder and MD of Meraki HR here; https://bit.ly/EmmaDiary or drop her a line at emma@www.merakihr.com and she’ll send you some further information.
