Your 2023 Employee checklist
You know how important it is to look after your employees, but as a busy business owner you might find that it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your priority list.
Why not let 2023 be the year you get this sorted, and have peace of mind knowing you, your business and your employees are protected in the correct way!
To help you, we’ve created this 2023 HR checklist.
It covers every aspect you need to know to ensure your business stays legally compliant, you’re following your duty of care, looking after your employee’s health and wellbeing, and creating a happy and efficient workforce.
There’s a lot to consider so if you need help, just give us a call and we’ll be there to support you.
Contracts, Policies & Handbooks
It’s really important to make sure all of these documents are up to date. To ensure this, reviewing them once a year is best practice.
This protects your business, your employees, and keeps you on the right side of the law.
What documents are most important?
There are many forms of HR document. Which ones are right for your business may depend on the nature of what you do. Some may be formal, and some informal. But there are a number of documents that you ideally want to have as a minimum;
Employment Contract
Including details such as salary and start dates.
Essential policies (Typically included in your employee handbook):
Maternity/paternity/adoption
Absence
Disciplinary and grievance
Equal opportunities
Data protection and security
Bullying and harassment
Additional policies (very helpful in setting out ways of working and the culture of your organisation)
Equality and diversity
Performance
Bribery
Drug and alcohol
Flexible working
Whistleblowing
Holiday
Homeworking
Menopause
Social Media
Wellbeing
Job descriptions
You should ensure you have up-to-date job descriptions for every role within the business. This will help both management of performance and make recruitment easier and more successful.
Exit documents
It is also good to have clear documents and policies in place for when an employee exits the business.
Are you legally compliant?
Compliance is vital for your business not only to ensure its smooth running, but also to avoid fines and even criminal charges.
Your business should be committed to following the working standards set out by UK employment law. It affects your policies, procedures, and documentation, as well as your day-to-day responsibilities.
Statutory compliance is your legal obligation set out by legislation.
Regulatory compliance is a legal obligation by a regulatory body. Your health and safety would fall into this category, for example.
Contractual compliance is your obligation to your employee, and vice versa, as set out by your employment contracts.
Failure to comply with any of these could result in criminal charges.
People Plan & Appraisals 
In order for your business to hit its goals in 2023, it’s vital that you have a solid people plan.
To create this, you’ll want to understand the needs of your business, and the goals you’ve set.
Looking at strengths and weaknesses is important so that you can identify opportunities and threats, as well as spotting which of your people can grow and progress in certain ways with training and development.
One of the best ways you can learn which of your current employees may go on to develop and grow with the company is by conducting regular employee appraisals. See our LinkedIn post with information on appraisals https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7009140969581223936
Management Training
Many business owners spend a lot of time upskilling and developing their teams, working on their business culture, and making sure they’re taking mental health and wellbeing seriously.
But often, they forget to place a focus on their own development, and that of their managers.
You and your managers hold the business together. It’s important to invest in your skills too.
As well as developing knowledge, there are many leadership skills you and your managers can work on. These can be skills such as communication, awareness (mental health, diversity, etc.), and decision making.
All of which will make your people happier and more productive.
Internal Audits and Surveys
Do you understand the areas of your business that need to be worked and improved on?
That’s not a trick question. Sometimes as business owners we are so focused on the bigger picture, that the smaller details escape us.
If you aren’t sure, you may wish to conduct an internal HR audit to make sure you are compliant and following best practice. This will ensure a happier, more engaged, and productive workforce. Albany HR have a blog about HR Audits and the benefits – https://albanyhr.com/news/why-you-may-need-an-hr-audit/
You can also survey your people (which can be done anonymously) to discover any problems or issues you may not have noticed.
Most often, this may be issues to do with workplace culture. Problems around stress, bullying, or harassment often go unnoticed and unreported. By giving your people an opportunity to highlight issues anonymously, you have a better chance of discovering the things that need your attention and working on ways to fix them.
If you do survey your employees, it is essential that you act on the information you receive and communicate the action you are taking as a result of employee feedback. Doing nothing with the survey results will undermine employee confidence in the process and result in low engagement among employees.
Work with an expert HR consultant to make sure you have the right support
To work on all of this alongside your day job is going to be very time consuming!
Some people may relish the challenge. But imagine spending all that additional time working on your business growth instead.
By working with experts (like the Albany HR team) you can make sure everything is done exactly as it should be, everything is legal and compliant, and nothing is forgotten.
Can we help you get your HR in order this year? If you’d like to discuss what we could do, give us a call to arrange a conversation.
If you’d like any further help or advice, please give us a call. 0131 364 4186 or email letstalk@albanyhr.com