Getting your HR House in Order
New year, fresh start and an opportunity to look forward to the future with your HR all in order, legally compliant and working for you. Sam Swinstead at People Vision urges us all to make our New Year’s Resolutions when it comes to employing our staff, and she offers a few suggestions to get you started.
- Spend some time to plan. It is time well spent but it is often a “luxury” that we don’t allow ourselves. It will enable you to succession plan for business critical job roles, be strategic in recruitment decisions, identify cost savings and minimise any potential need for redundancies, short time working or lay-offs.
- Get some legal expertise. Ensure you know the relevant employment law before you make any major decisions or take actions that may have legal repercussions – going to tribunal is costly, time consuming, and often wholly avoidable if you check the law out first.
- Make this the year that you review your HR policies and procedures. Is this job on your “to do” list forever lurking near the bottom as something you know you “should do “? Make time to check they are all up to date, following best practice and legally compliant – it gives you peace of mind and ensures your staff know both their rights and their responsibilities.
- And while you are at it, review those personnel files. Do you know what has been filed away in that personnel cabinet or would you prefer not to think about it? Make it a priority to review every employee’s file, ensuring that it contains everything it should...and nothing it shouldn’t!
- Communicate, communicate, communicate! In the tough times we think we’ll be facing ahead, being honest and transparent, keeping staff up to date and in the know will increase their trust in you and keep their loyalty to the business...just when you need it most.
- Commit to developing your staff. We know it’s tough to think about spending money on training when there are so many other things that the budget could be spent on. Remember that your staff are your greatest asset when they perform at their optimum, but they are your greatest cost if they don’t have the skills, knowledge or confidence to do what you need them to.
People Vision offer a FREE HR AUDIT customers with over 30 employees. Call Sam Swinstead on 0845 4599710 or email info@pvhr.com for a review of your policies, procedures and personnel files to ensure you are legally compliant and following best practice, and to explore the most effective ways to develop the people in your business.
Article written by
Sam Swinstead: HR Consultant
