Happy New Year! It’s January and that means it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions to set the year off on the right path. Resolutions don’t have to be personal – small businesses also benefit from setting clear goals for the year. New Year HR tasks can help a business grow and be more organized and efficient.
Top New Year HR Tasks to Start the Year off Right
Here are our top New Year HR tasks for a successful 2023:
- Make this the year you commit to work-life balance
Work-life balance has practically become a mantra since the pandemic. Employees are pushing harder for workplaces that allow them to clock out after finishing a regular work day so they can take a real break from work. But it’s not just workers who benefit from work-life balance. Small business owners also tend to work way beyond the 40-hour workweek, which can lead to burnout. Make this the year that you commit to proper work-life balance by setting boundaries such as no emails outside of work hours, enforcing lunch breaks, and encouraging workers to use their PTO.
2. Create a schedule for regular check-ins with employees
Companies are moving away from annual performance reviews in favor of more ongoing engagement with their employees for many reasons, including:
- Less time consuming than planning annual reviews
- Focuses on recent projects and achievements
- Decreased focus on metrics that stifle exceptional workers
If your company is still doing formal annual performance reviews, consider switching to quarterly check-ins. Regular meetings are an opportunity to nip a bad habit in the bud or to give credit to an employee who went above and beyond on a recent project.
3. Review your company values, mission, and goals
When you first launched your business, you probably spent a fair amount of time thinking about and writing your company values, mission, and goals. It’s a good idea to review them at the beginning of each year to make sure that they are still in line with where your business is heading. It’s also a good time to scratch off any goals that were accomplished last year and replace them with new ones.
4. Review your hiring process
Great employees are essential for any business or organization and it all starts with the hiring process. Review your process to make sure that it is positive and effective for hiring managers, current employees, and applicants. It’s also important to make sure that your hiring process complies with all current federal, state, and local employer laws.
5. Review your compensation and benefits packages
Make sure your compensation and benefits packages are meeting your industry’s benchmarks for average compensation (at a bare minimum) or you will have trouble hiring and retaining workers. If they are below industry averages, we highly recommend increasing wages for current and new employees and looking at your benefits package options. Speak to your local Professional Employer Organization (PEO) about how small business owners can offer better benefits at affordable prices.
6. Update your employee handbook and review your HR policies
Employee handbooks are an important part of the onboarding process because they set ground rules and expectations as well as company HR policies for issues like workplace harassment, unlawful termination, and employee data protection. The handbook should be seen as a living document that gets updated each year with current policies. Take this month to review your handbook and HR policies to make sure they accurately reflect your company today.
7. Refresh your training programs
Providing effective training is one of the key ingredients to retaining good employees. Take some time to review your current onboarding and employee training programs and look for opportunities for improvement. Could pairing new hires with an experienced mentor be beneficial? Are existing employees being given opportunities to continue developing their skills? Is it time to schedule annual workplace harassment avoidance training?
8. Consider partnering with a PEO
If you’re a small business owner who is working long hours trying to wear multiple hats and struggling to keep up with HR needs, this is a great time to consider partnering with a local PEO that can take care of all your HR tasks and provide access to benefits that only large companies would normally be able to afford.
Need help with HR? We’ve got you covered through HR outsourcing! When you partner with Makai HR you can get on with the business you are trying to grow while we take care of your employee needs from payroll to taxes, health insurance/benefits and worker’s compensation. You also gain peace of mind that you are compliant with all of Hawaii’s employer laws (if you’ve ever looked you know that the list is very long and changes happen). When choosing a PEO to partner with, there are many things to consider including cost, services, and technology solutions.
With the cost of doing business in Hawaii at record highs, we know how important it is to keep labor costs in line with revenue. Our plans are priced competitively and include value-added services like time-in/time-out systems. Our customized PEO solutions are tailored to the size of your business and specific needs. We offer a 100% paperless solution which means that your employees can manage their needs through a computer, tablet, or phone. We can truly improve your employees’ work benefits while freeing you up to operate your business.
What are you waiting for? Companies that partner with a PEO benefit from 7-9% faster growth, 10-14% lower employee turnover; and they are 50% less likely to go out of business. Contact us today to get started!