3 HR Tasks You Should Complete Before the End of the Year

Guest contributor, Amanda Haddaway, managing director of HR Answerbox, offers these tips for getting your organization in shape for the New Year.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 – While it may seem like 2020 has taken forever to come to a close, we’re quickly approaching the end of the calendar year. That means your organization should do a quick check-in on HR compliance and planning.  Here are our top three tasks to consider completing before year-end:

1. Do a thorough review of your employee handbook. Are your policies up-to-date and compliant? If you’re a multi-state employer, be sure to check on state and local employment laws that may apply. If you made operational changes due to COVID that you think will continue into 2021, you may want to consider amending those policies as well. We recommend handbooks be reviewed at least annually.
2. Check your labor law posters. Many employment laws require posters in the workplace. Since a lot of organizations are still operating remotely, it may make sense to “move” these posters into an online format and share them with your staff via a shared drive, intranet site or some other electronic venue.
3. Plan for employee engagement and development activities for 2021. Your employees have been flexible and adaptable during COVID. Now is the time to think about how you will keep them engaged into the New Year.  What is your company doing to support employee development and growth? If budgets allow, think about training for new managers, since this is an area that has a great return on investment when it comes to productivity and engagement for the managers and the team they are leading.

About the Author: Amanda Haddaway, MA, MJ, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is an award-winning HR consultant and corporate trainer. In her role as the managing director of HR Answerbox, she specializes in conducting workplace investigations, solving complex employee relations issues, leading interactive and engaging training sessions, and serving as an advisor to small business owners and leaders.