End of Year Review

End of Year Review

Even though we have roughly two and a half months left of 2019, adequately preparing for changes that are bound to hit your organization in advance can save you a lot of hassle as the end of the year starts to creep up on us. As we all work on tying up lose ends and prepare to close the door on 2019, it is time to look ahead to a new year (a new decade!) and determine what we can do to ensure that 2020 begins in the most efficient and productive manner possible:

  • Review Internal Policies and Procedures – Both HR and Management can participate in this annual review of what policies are outdated and need a refresh, and what procedures need some tweaking to match the culture and processes of the organization. Take stock of the last year and determine what worked and what didn’t, and plan to collaborate on how to effectively renew and implement these processes.
  • Review HR-Related Documents and Systems – Predominantly the role of HR, similarly to how you would review internal policies and procedures, take a look at forms and documents and HR systems (e.g. leave administration and tracking, EEO tracking and reporting, vacation scheduling, etc.) and see what tweaks can be made to ensure everything is working as seamlessly and proficiently as possibly, both for the employee and for HR and management on the back end.
  • Review Operational Functions – A task that generally requires the buy in from management and possibly from your employees (such as receiving feedback from a focus group), review operational functions and performance to determine what, if anything, needs to be modified to make certain your clients and customers receive the best service possible, and that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
  • Prepare for Goal Setting – As we complete our goals from the past year, take a look ahead and honestly think about what you want to accomplish in 2020. With a fresh start and a chance to work with a clean slate, be proactive in your goal setting preparation and being brainstorming your personal and professional objectives and what you need to do to get there.

In addition to all of these preemptive approaches to the new year, there are a number of employment and labor law changes that will hit at the federal and state level. Follow along in our next post as we address some of these changes (including the long overdue update to the exempt salary threshold) and provide you with tips on a smooth transition and implementation process.

Contact us today for assistance in any of these categories. HRCentral specializes in helping organizations streamline and update processes, policies, and procedures to ensure maximum benefit to the employee and employer.

Wrapping up the Year End

With crisp mornings and equally cool evenings, vibrant autumn shades being displayed in abundance, and everything flavored with pumpkin and spice, fall is officially here. The kiddos are back in school and many of us find ourselves back in our groove with work projects as lazy summer days are far behind us. With the year quickly coming to a close, it is a great opportunity to reflect back on past year and determine what your organization has yet to check off your end-of-year list and accomplish in this final quarter.

Human Resources

After reviewing your organization’s budget, determine if it is feasible to offer any incentives or bonuses at the end of the calender year (if this is a regular practice within your company). Take a look at staffing needs and ascertain any departments that require new positions or have any vacancies and create a recruiting plan to implement. Take a look at internal policies and procedures and proactively plan for anything that needs updated accordingly, including any projected changes to state and federal labor law.

General Organization

From a technological perspective, take advantage of the 4th quarter to back up your data and purge or archive anything that is no longer necessary. Go through files on your desktop, email folders, and client data and clean house. Backup contacts and download any large documents to an external hard drive or to a cloud sharing system. On the more tangible side, go through your desk and file cabinets and drawers and shred, scan, and electronically file any documents that you no longer need physical copies of. Organize your desk space and make it fresh and neat for the new year.

Business and Marketing

From a very basic level, take a look at your website and social media pages. Is your company presented in an accurate manner that best reflects the culture and services/products provided? Test hyperlinks and general navigation on your website to ensure that visitors are provided with the information they are searching for, and update as necessary. Are recent posts to social media relevant and receiving adequate likes/shares?

There are so many things we can check off our lists when planning for the end of the year, or the 4th quarter. In addition to HR, general business operations, and marketing other areas to review include accounting and payroll, strategic planning, and sales. This month we will discuss wrapping up this year’s goals and looking ahead to new objectives, review what may have gone wrong with this year’s projects that did not reach fruition and how to bounce back, and how to effectively plan for the new year.