Out with 2020, in with the new year.

In many ways, the final weeks of the year can be a little less demanding for most employees—a season of office parties, celebratory staff lunches, and vacation time. However, it’s one of the busiest periods for HR professionals. Before we can ring in 2021, we have to tie up administrative details remaining from 2020 and make sure the company is on course for a seamless transition to the approaching year.

Among important items on HR’s must-do list at year’s end, including compliance duties arising from Federal agencies—particularly the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—as well as state agencies which have various deadlines for employers to file forms and send notifications to employees.

2020 threw us a major HR curve.

Enter 2020. The year of the “unprecedented event” known as the Coronavirus pandemic. It has rocked the workforce in many ways, among which includes navigating payroll amidst the remote workplace new normal, Paid Time Off (PTO) details due to COVID-19, and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

This final quarter will be a challenging one for many as we button up details on the unexpected year that we have had in 2020.

Will COVID-19 continue to affect the workplace in 2021?

At this point, many of the legislative rulings such as FFCRA are set to expire December 31, 2020. We can’t see what the future means for the workplace specifically beyond this, so we advise trying to stay up to date with current HR News.

To help you maintain compliance we have put together some resources for you including a 2020 year-end checklist, which you can download below.

Each year brings its challenges for end-of-year tasks.
There certain areas that are critical for HR health, including the following:

• Handbook reviews (with new sections relating to COVID-19 policies)
• HR Healthcheck assessment of your organization
• Salary and Wage benchmarking
• Labor poster updates and training and education for sexual harassment
•  File Retention Requirements
• Sexual Harassment Training

By performing these tasks, it sets the foundation for a great 2021.

At around this time, many HR directors also audit headcount, to make sure its numbers agree with those used by managers and in public reports. Some suggest updates to their employee roster monthly and printing out the last one of the year to serve as a master record.

For more information on end of year HR best practices, contact us at 1-855-538-6947 Ext. 108 or visit www.myhrconcierge.com for more information and HR needs.

Episode 5
Wrapping up HR 2020. End of year HR discussed.