Six Ways To Spring Clean Your HR Activities
Do you spring clean your house (or better still, get someone else to do it for you!)? This is a great time to spring clean your business too.
The tax year has ended, so many companies will be breathing a sigh of relief – and this is a good time to take a close look at how your organisation operates. Here we focus on getting your Human Resources house in order…
1. Staff reviews
We’re a quarter way through the year now – yes really! So if you recruited new staff at the beginning of the year, they will be more than half-way through a six-month probation period. This is a good time to have a review with them; ascertain exactly how they’re getting on, and where they need more training. There’s no point waiting until the probationary period is up – get them on the right tracks now. You can also gauge how they are ‘onboarding’, ie, getting used to the social and performance aspects of their job, and learning what skills, attitudes and knowledge will help them to function well within your organisation.
2. Attendance reviews
Poor attendance not only impacts on the record of the person who is not turning up to work, or arriving consistently late, but also has a knock-on effect on others within their team too and of course on the performance of your business. For a start, everyone has to pick up the work not done by the absentee, which can mean some team members become overstretched. If no action is taken against the culprit, it can also lead to resentment and can contribute to a culture where others think they too can exploit the system. Look for and address any issues now, before they become a real problem.
3. Look at time-saving software
How much time do you spend trying to keep track of staff holidays, sick days, meetings and so on? If you have various staff working shifts or part-time hours, it can be hard to keep track of what time off they are owed. Consider cloud-based personnel software, which can manage all your staff data and files, and let your staff request holidays using an intuitive calendar. Contact us or find out more by following this link.
4. Keep in touch
Make sure you keep in touch with staff who are on long-term leave such as maternity leave, bereavement leave or have a long-term health issue. The reasons for this are twofold: not only does it mean that they feel part of the team, and are kept up to date with changes within the company, social events and new job offers, but it also ensures that if they decide they won’t be coming back, you’re likely to hear about it sooner rather than later.
Ensure you have a good policy setting out how you manage KIT (Keep In Touch) days for those on maternity leave or shared parental leave. It should outline how the company will keep in touch with your people while they are away – and what information will be passed on, when days can be taken and what payment arrangements are in place.
5. Objectives and reviews
Taking a look at your objectives should not just be a once-a-year event. Schedule in set times for reviewing company goals and objectives. We know that the pace of change is fast and to keep up with some of your markets or customers you may need to tweak your goals from time to time. Do communicate and discuss the changes with everyone in the organisation as they can help to achieve your objectives if they know what is expected of them. The same is true for teams and individuals – regular one-to-one meetings ensure that you can identify any learning or development issues at an early stage, deal with any problems, and also offer praise, incentives and rewards on a regular basis, and it provides an opportunity for useful two-way feedback.
6. Holidays
It’s important that staff take their minimum statutory holiday entitlement. A good work/life balance ensures your staff get enough down time and family time so that when they are at work they can focus and perform well. Make sure your staff are booking and taking their holidays regularly throughout the year. Does your booking process work well? What system and software will you use? Again a cloud-based system can help with this. Consider our partner HR software system to manage time off – whether it is holiday or not – or get in touch for further information and assistance. If staff aren’t taking their holidays, look at the reasons why, and what you can do to alleviate them. Is their workload too heavy, are there too many project deadlines, are you short-staffed, or do some managers make it difficult for staff to take their holidays?
For help with your human resources requirements, issues and activities, please contact us for a no obligation discussion. Embrace HR Limited, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, helps SMEs who do not have their own HR departments, or those who need HR support from time to time. Email us or phone Cecily on 07767 308 717.
