There’s a lot happening this year in the world of employment law and HR, which is why I’ve created this 2026 HR checklist to give you some guidance on what you should focus on without it getting overwhelming.

Work through each of the give areas at your own pace, but please don’t put it off. 

 

Legal foundations

If your contracts are out of date, you’re leaving yourself open to problems. The same can be said about your policies. You don’t need to be a legal expert, but you do need documents that protect your business and are applied consistently to all your employees.

Assess your business – where are you now?

• When did you last review your employment contracts? 
• Is your employee handbook current? 
• Do you document your HR decisions, especially the difficult ones? 
• How confident are you that your current policies are up to date and legally sound on a scale of 1-5?

What to do now:

Pick the one area that worries you the most, maybe it’s your dismissal process or how you handle sickness. I can help you to review that first if you need some help, then you can work through the others quarterly.

 

Smart systems

Do you find yourself wasting hours every week on HR admin? There are affordable, easy-to-use tools that handle most of this automatically without giving you a spreadsheet headache.

Assessment: where are you now?

• How many hours per week do you spend on HR admin? 
• Are you still using spreadsheets for holidays? 
• Are you confident your employee data is stored securely and meets GDPR requirements? 
• What’s your biggest HR time-stealer right now?

What to do now:

Pick your biggest time-stealer and I’ll help you to fix that first. Once you see the difference, you’ll want to automate more…but don’t try to change everything at once.

 

People performance

Can you attract decent people, get them productive quickly and keep them around in your business?

Replacing staff is both expensive and disruptive. Good people want interesting work, a chance to develop and to feel like they’re making a difference. That’s something  I believe smaller businesses can offer far better than corporates can!

Assessment: where are you now?

• Do your job ads sell what’s different about working for your business? 
• Have you got a written onboarding plan for new starters? 
• How often do you check in with new starters? 
• When did you last ask your best people why they stay? 
• How settled does your team feel right now, on a scale of 1-5? 

What to do now:

Have a chat with your best employee. Ask them why they stay and what might make them leave. The answers will probably surprise you and you will find out what to focus on.

 

Wellbeing and culture

When your team is healthy and engaged, your business performs better – it’s a fact. This isn’t about yoga classes or fancy perks, it’s about spotting when people are struggling before they burn out, quit, or make expensive mistakes.

Assessment: where are you now?

• Can your managers spot burnout warning signs? 
• Are work expectations clear and realistic? 
• Do your people have a way to raise concerns safely? 
• Team morale right now: 1 (terrible) to 5 (great). Whats your score?

What to do now:

Start with a team check-in. Ask everyone individually how they’re REALLY doing. You’ll quickly spot who needs support before it becomes a bigger issue. If you have managers, train them to recognise the early warning signs of burnout, it really will pay off.

 

Growth readiness

Your team structure needs to support your growing business. That means knowing your numbers, developing your people and making sure that you’re not stuck if someone important leaves.

Assessment: where are you now?

• Do you track monthly HR metrics? 
• How many roles would cause real disruption to your business if left vacant? 
• Are your people cross-trained in critical functions? 
• Does your skills development match your business strategy? 
• How many single points of failure are there in your team: none …1-2 …… too many?

What to do now:

Choose three measures that matter to your business. Track those numbers every month, at the same time and in the same way. Consistent tracking reveals patterns you’d otherwise miss and helps you to act before problems become major issues.

 

Your next steps

Pick one thing from this list that’s been nagging at you. The thing that makes you think “I really should sort that out.” Start there. Fix it properly. Then move on to the next.

The goal isn’t to overhaul everything at once or adding to your already busy scheduled. It’s about building a steady rhythm of improvement that fits your business to improve for the long term.

Ready to ensure that your business thrives in 2026?

Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your HR needs with me and get ready for the year ahead: https://tidycal.com/kat3/20-minute-exploration-call20241205142253