End of Year HR Checklist

Dec 14, 2021
end of year hr checklist

Do you know what should be on your End of Year HR Checklist?

Before the holidays get here, setting aside some time to check your End of Year Checklist twice will ensure 2022 starts off on the right foot!

You aren't alone - we are here to help! We have put together an End of Year Checklist for you in this blog post to make it easy as pie for you to ensure you don't miss a thing.

End-of-Year HR Checklist

Benefits

  • Remind employees of any changes as of Jan 1 with their insurance benefits plans (to include medical, dental, vision, disability, etc)
  • Make sure employees have their new benefits insurance cards
  • Remind employees to update/double check their life-insurance beneficiaries
  • Share a 2022 Company Paid Holiday list, and remind employees of any additional time, such as Floating Holidays, which they also have available during the calendar year
  • Ensure proper end-of-year Paid Time Off (PTO) carryover in your payroll system or pay employees out for any accrued PTO at year end, all depending on your policy

Payroll

  • Schedule & issue holiday bonuses to hit your final 2021 paycheck, if applicable
  • Prepare for the first payroll run of the new year (especially if you changed payroll providers as of Jan 1!)
  • Confirm new year payroll schedule and share that as well as the actual pay period dates so employees are clear on when they are paid
  • Ensure everything is in order with your payroll processor for your employees to be issued their W-2s and 1099s by January 31

Misc Compliance

  • Review exempt vs non-exempt employee statuses and be sure that you head into the new year with everyone classified correctly (Guiding HR Subscribers – there is a checklist for this in the Employment Law module – reach out for support!)
  • Prepare new year updates to your employee handbook, factoring in any new laws specific to states in which you have employees
  • Audit personnel files to ensure medical and employment documents are separate (things can get messy during the year when things are busy in the office, so a clean-up to ensure employee file compliance is highly recommended)
  • Verify that correct labor laws are properly posted – it is best practice to order updated employment law posters for each work location for 2022 (click the link to order them easily online!)
  • Prepare for OSHA filing, if you are required to file (click the link to ensure you are in compliance for your company type and employee count)
  • Distribute annual notices to employees, i.e. 401k and benefits plan documents (Reach out to your benefits broker - they can guide you every step of the way on this and answer your questions – you shouldn’t need to issue these notices on your own)
  • Schedule 2022 trainings – management, harassment, etc – need training support? (Reach out for guidance.)
  • Audit your I-9s (or make a plan to do it in 2022) and ensure they are disposed of properly (HR Subscribers can reference the “I-9 Audit Step-By-Step How to Guide” in the Employment Law Basics module for everything you need to know!)

Hiring

  • Set onboarding/new employee orientation dates for the year, if you typically have a set schedule for this
  • Encourage each department to determine their staffing needs/requests for the new year
  • Update job descriptions (remember, to accurately assess performance, you must have a solid job description in place for each role within your organization!)

General HR

  • Review HR budget for the new year to begin to allocate resources
  • Perform annual performance reviews or schedule a refresher training for managers if you use a different model (HR Subscribers, in the All Things Performance Management module, you can find templates and step-by-step instructions for implementing a new Performance Review process, whether it be the Annual or Constant Feedback style)
  • Review and update company policies and communicate to team
  • Remind employees to update their information in your HR database (address, emergency contact, phone number, personal email, etc.)
  • Encourage your team to clean and organize their personal workspaces – let’s start the new year off fresh!

If you found this information helpful you may want to consider becoming an Expedition HR Subscriber or participate in the next HR Jumpstart Training Program. You could also have us speak at your next company event or schedule one of our Leadership Trainings. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

How to Get Started With Expedition HR

 

Join the HR Subscription to receive comprehensive and affordable Human Resources Support. The subscription is ideal for for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

As a subscriber, you...

  • Receive on-demand HR Consulting and other HR Services for a fraction of the cost to hire a full time HR employee
  • Have the support and knowledge to deal with workplace conflict
  • Know exactly what phrasing to use for tough conversations with your employees
  • Have extra time in your day because you have immediate access to the right HR forms, checklists, and tools (no more Googling HR forms!)
  • Have an expert to guide you with how to fire someone when the need arises
  • Know how to better manage employee performance
  • Understand HR Compliance
  • Have peace of mind

Schedule a Free Consult  or email us.

Book a Free Consult