Is it time for your annual HR spring clean?
Spring has sprung, and we’re ready to be rejuvenated by bright sunshine, daffodils and a fresh breeze, right!? Whilst you’re feeling positive and productive, your HR processes may need a refresh and an annual HR spring clean is a great way to do it. Here are some of the areas that may require an airing.
Purge your files
Purging isn’t just for fitness fanatics; ensure you review all your employee files and dispose of outdated files appropriately. Although you are legally required to retain certain information for a prescribed period, this can lead to a backlog of unnecessary information if not reviewed regularly.
Timescales in which employees can start legal proceedings in Employment Tribunal or the Civil Courts vary depending on the type of claim so you should ensure you retain any records that may be relevant as well as, or in addition to, meeting the statutory requirements for records retention. If you would like advice on these timescales, please contact us.
While in purge mode, go through your ‘doom drawer’ and discard any unnecessary paperwork languishing in the dark.
Employee feedback questionnaire
You can gauge the areas that may need immediate attention within your company by getting feedback from your employees. Conducting an employee survey will help you decide where to implement change for the coming year, what training needs to be carried out and can help your recruitment drive by promoting where your company excels in supporting its employees.
Ensuring your employees feel listened to promotes unity and loyalty within your workforce; employee feedback surveys help to support this; make this top of your spring clean list.
Clean up your policies
It is the perfect time of year to review your policies and procedures and ensure you are compliant with the law and current regulations. Some areas to consider are –
- The workplace Code of Conduct
- Your current Recruitment policy
- Remote and hybrid workplace policies
- Updated internet and social media policies
- Anti-Discrimination and Harassment policies
- Grievance Handling procedures
- Disciplinary and Termination Policies
It is also helpful to update any posters or notices regarding compliance in the workplace and that any changes are communicated to staff in a revised employee handbook.
Review company projects
It’s worthwhile reviewing your longer-term and ongoing projects, especially if you’re approaching a new financial year. Assess what projects are active and whether they are within budget and examine whether projects have achieved their goals within the prescribed time parameters.
Once you have analysed this information, it will be easier to spot unsuccessful projects costing your company undue financial burdens; you may also identify areas where a new project could better meet your needs.
Revitalise job descriptions
Once a job description has been created, it is often forgotten until the next recruitment drive for that role, irrespective of any changes or growth within a particular position. Maintaining up-to-date job descriptions will help with workforce planning and recruiting processes. Getting your employees to review their job descriptions is a great way to highlight their responsibilities and expectations and to discover whether the scope of an employee’s role has changed. This can be done as part of your performance review process or as a separate activity.
Dust off your incentive programme
It’s time to look at your employee benefits and incentives programme. Although creating incentives for your workforce is a great way to improve productivity and motivation, your bottom line will be negatively affected if they are ineffective. Here are some key areas to consider whilst you review your incentive programme –
- How are your employees performing, and has their performance improved since introducing the programme?
- What is the programme’s financial impact, and is this worthwhile for improving team motivation and engagement?
- Are there changes to the incentives or benefits which could improve performance further?
- Are your employees interested in the incentives provided? Gaining valuable feedback will help your evaluation
Revamp health and safety
Ensuring up-to-date and compliant health and safety policies and procedures is essential for housekeeping. Start by reviewing any health and safety reports made over the last year and assessing if there are any patterns which may require action.
Research any recent changes to health and safety protocols within your industry and crosscheck with your health and safety policies to ensure you are fully compliant. Complete your workplace’s health and safety assessment; you can find our Health and safety checklist in here.
Review temporary and seasonal employees
If your company hires contractors or seasonal workers, planning ahead is essential. Whether you have contractors embedded within projects that are ready for a review or you’re preparing for the next seasonal hiring drive, your process documents and SOPs should be reviewed to ensure everything is up to date.
Holiday maintenance
As spring rolls in, employees will be looking ahead to the summer months. Annual leave requests will flurry in; ensuring your employees are prepared with annual leave requests and reviewing your holiday scheduling processes now will help avoid having too many team members off at once.
Evaluate training requirements
Employees will come and go at different times, and team members may be at differing stages of their training throughout the year. Employee development is vital to maintaining productivity and retaining top talent; you can ensure your team performs at its highest level by evaluating training requirements regularly, saving time and money in the long run.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you require further assistance revitalising your HR systems.