How HR should be part of your New Year’s business resolutions

Wednesday January 3, 2018

The festive period means that many of us have enjoyed a week or two off work. However, some are now looking to go on a post-Christmas diet, join the local gym or give up alcohol. For your business, the best resolutions should include HR.

For small businesses, it can be easy to get swept up in the day-to-day running of the company and not take stock of how far you’ve come and where you want to be. Systems and processes have likely developed in the last year and there have been some changes to holiday pay. This means that a rewrite of the employee handbook might be best done now – before even more progress is made.

New Year’s business resolutions

With lots of changes to employment law last year, a complete HR audit might even be a good idea. Look at the wording in employee contracts and make sure they’re up-to-date. There were big cases about internet privacy, sexual harassment and diabetes in the workplace.

If you’re thinking about recruiting new staff, writing an employee handbook might be a great idea to add to the New Year’s to-do list. When employees first join they should read it thoroughly, so make sure the handbook reflects your culture and gives a warm welcome – because you don’t want it to sound like an invitation to work in a prison!

Preventing people problems

No employer anticipates having problems with their staff. However, making sure grievance and disciplinary procedures are clear and meet the Acas code can save you a headache later on in the year – particularly if you try to discipline an employee and get it wrong.

Last July, tribunal fees were abolished in the UK, meaning that employees can now take their bosses to court for no charge. But our market leading insurance will cover all your legal costs and any award. No other HR outsourcing company can provide this service – not taking advice can cost you further down the line!

How the HR Dept can help

For an obligation-free chat about your contracts and handbooks, get in touch with the HR Dept today.

Preventing People Problems

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