I came back to the office on Monday, and organised my space to reflect my good intentions for 2019 (how long will they last?!)
If you are anything like me, as you relax over the holidays, there are little bits in the back of your mind which you know should be improved on in the coming year. Sometimes they make their way into New Year resolutions, and other times they are left to gnaw away for another year.
If you are an employer wanting to start 2019 by putting your HR house in shape, here are some things you might want to consider
- Do all your employees have written employment agreements?
- Are the agreements you have fit for purpose? Check whether job descriptions and hours of work provisions in particular actually reflect what the employee is doing now (not what you thought they might do when they started). Where employees are on a salary, does the salary meet the minimum requirements for the hours the employee works?
- Check your trial period provision – the law on these is very prescriptive and there are numerous examples of employers not being able to rely on trial periods because they are not drafter in accordance with current requirements. If your trial period was drafted more than a year ago, you might like to have it reviewed. Remember, if you employ 20 or more people, you will not be allowed to use the trial period after May. Perhaps it’s time to design a good probationary period system to use in your workplace.
- Also from May, you will be required to provide your employees with regular breaks after four hours of work. This isn’t a big change, but your agreements and systems might need to be refreshed to accommodate this.
- If there is Union involvement in your workplace, consider the impact of the recent changes, which give Unions greater access, and change some of your obligations in collective bargaining. Bear in mind that you will need to revert to putting new employees on the Collective Agreement for the first weeks of their employment with you.
- How are your Privacy systems – your processes for collection, storage and release of information? There is an increasing focus on data protection and privacy here and internationally and your obligations in this area will only increase.
- Reflect on how your managers are coping with HR issues and incidents – is this an area where policies could be reconsidered, or training could be provided?
I know from personal experience that it is easier said than done, but the new year is a good opportunity to take stock and be deliberate about small changes which could improve your workplace. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help with some small improvements. Happy New Year and all the best for 2019.
