WHAT IS A HR HEALTHCHECK, AND WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE ONE? 

When we begin working with new clients at Clover HR, one of the first steps we take is to conduct an HR healthcheck. But what is an HR healthcheck and why are they important?

To provide a little clarity, we’ve put together this quick guide covering what they are, why you need one, how they’re conducted and how to get one. To book your free HR healthcheck with Clover HR, just call us now on 0330 175 6601. 

WHAT IS A HR HEALTHCHECK? 

A HR healthcheck is a comprehensive review of your existing HR functions. It involves checking whether you have the right documentation in place, that your staff understand your policies and procedures, that you’re compliant with current legislation and much more.

Your healthcheck will effectively act as a benchmark for future improvements, identifying weak points and helping to efficiently prioritise areas that require the most urgent action. It also helps reveal whether your HR setup is aligned with your long-term business plans, assessing whether you’re on course for healthy growth. 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A HR HEALTHCHECK? 

Now we’ve answered ‘what is a HR healthcheck?’, let’s discuss the benefits. The main perks include:

• Performance benchmarking – the findings of your initial HR healthcheck serve as a benchmark for future improvements, allowing you to effectively track progress and demonstrate positive movement.
• Improved long-term growth – for optimum long-term growth, your HR policies should be aligned with your business plans, and a healthcheck is the best way to determine this.
• Greater staff retention – a large part of an HR healthcheck is assessing staff satisfaction, onboarding processes, pay structures and how easily they can access support. Understanding these aspects can contribute to improved happiness and retention.
• More efficient budget allocation – knowing the weak points in your HR function can help inform your improvement efforts, ensuring you can make the best use of your HR spend. 

HOW DO YOU CONDUCT A HR HEALTHCHECK? 

So, what is a HR healthcheck in practice? A healthcheck is made up of several different steps, ensuring each aspect of your HR function is covered. These steps include: 

Review HR Policies & Procedures:

One of the first areas your HR healthcheck will examine is your existing HR policies and procedures. This involves determining what documentation and structures you already have in place and how robust and functional they are. We’ll check whether you have all the policies in place that you need and whether they match the size and type of your business. 

Assess HR Processes:

Next, we’ll review your processes, including hiring, onboarding, dismissal, grievances and more. These processes should be clearly defined in any size of business, and weaknesses can leave you vulnerable in unexpected circumstances. We’ll check you have your processes laid out properly and identify any areas of concern. 

Conduct Interviews and Surveys:

Another key area your healthcheck will focus on is employee satisfaction. We’ll conduct interviews and surveys with staff members to gauge their feelings about your existing HR functions and where they think improvements are most urgently needed. This is vital, as understanding how your employees feel about their workplace is instrumental to talent retention and, by extension, business growth. 

Compare Against Industry Standards:

A core part of our benchmarking during your HR healthcheck will be to compare your existing HR function against industry standards. Firstly, this means in a regulatory sense; checking that your policies and procedures are legally compliant. Secondly, we will also compare your practices to those of businesses of a similar size and sector. This is a measure of how competitive your business is as a workplace, and how likely you are to be able to attract and retain talent compared to your peers. 

Develop And Action Plan of Findings:

Finally, we’ll collate our findings into a clear, jargon-free and user-friendly report to give you an overview of how effective your current functions are and where there is the greatest need for improvement. We can then also use these findings to draft an action plan, giving you a straightforward route to improved compliance and staff satisfaction. Clover HR also offers all the support you need to implement any necessary changes in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible. 

OUTSOURCE YOUR HR HEALTHCHECK WITH CLOVER HR

A HR healthcheck is at its most valuable and insightful when conducted by an independent third party, with the expertise and experience needed to easily spot issues and plan remediation.

At Clover HR, we have years of experience in HR support and consultancy for businesses of all sizes and types, enabling us to provide constructive, objective HR healthchecks and provide all the assistance you need to resolve any issues.To book your free HR healthcheck today, just call our team on 0330 175 6601, email us at info@cloverhr.co.uk or fill out our contact form.