The employer’s checklist for 2025

Happy New Year!

It’s 2025, and it’s time to make sure your house is in order.

We’ve created a new checklist that will guide you through the top 10 areas you should be looking at to get the very best out of your team and business this year.

This includes legal compliance, HR technology and the entire employee life cycle.

Here are the top 10 areas you should be looking at:

1. Make sure you stay legally compliant
2. Leverage HR technology to save time and costs
3. Attract the best people with a great employer brand
4. Find the right people with a legally compliant recruitment process
5. Give new starters a great onboarding experience
6. Retain your team and keep them happy
7. Invest in your team’s performance and your company’s success
8. Say goodbye to employees in a positive manner
9. Avoid negative Glassdoor reviews
10. Get strategic support from an independent HR consultant

You will find the full checklist on our website.

Americans will spend 44 years of their life looking at a screen…

Here’s a stat that might make you want to turn off your laptop and hide your phone: A study has found that U.S. adults will spend a staggering equivalent of 44 years in front of their screens over their lifetime.

Excessive screen time can impact health and cause symptoms such as headaches, eyestrain and poor sleep. So, it’s no surprise that people are being warned to cut back. From setting screen-free boundaries to savoring phone-free social moments, it’s time to discover how to reclaim our time and well-being.

https://people.com/human-interest/average-us-adult-screens-study

Reminder: Complete and Post Your OSHA 300A Form by February 1st

As we enter the new year, it’s crucial to remember an important compliance requirement: the OSHA 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. This form must be completed and posted in a visible location at your workplace by February 1st.

The OSHA 300A form summarizes the total number of work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during the previous year. Posting this summary helps ensure transparency and promotes workplace safety by keeping employees informed about the hazards they may face.

Key Points to Remember:

• Deadline: The form must be posted from February 1st to April 30th.
• Location: Choose a conspicuous place where notices to employees are customarily posted.
• Accuracy: Ensure all data is accurate and reflects the previous calendar year’s incidents.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us or visit the OSHA website for more information.

Age discrimination works both ways

Most people think that age discrimination is limited to individuals over 40 years of age.  Reverse discrimination exists as well, and it relates to age-related discrimination for those under 40.

Whether it’s employers who think a candidate is too young and lacks enough experience, or co-workers who talk down to you based on age, this discrimination can negatively impact self-confidence and even minimize someone’s motivation for career growth.

Employers need to be aware that age-related discrimination can occur at any age and take appropriate measures to prevent and address it in the workplace.

https://www.helpguide.org/aging/healthy-aging/ageism-and-age-discrimination

Leader and manager development is the HR industry’s biggest priority for 2025

A Gartner report (a leading research and advisory firm) has found that leader and manager development will remain the priority for HR leaders worldwide in 2025.

The report highlights the increasing pressures on managers. It states that 75% of managers struggle to cope with their responsibilities, with only 36% feeling that their organization’s current management training programs effectively prepares leaders for the future.

This makes us ask: How prepared are your managers to lead your team this year?

You know what they say… people don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad managers.

Bad management poses HUGE risks to your business, including:

• High staff turnover and low employee retention
• Decreased employee engagement and productivity
• Higher risk of employment-related legal claims and subsequent costs

What’s the solution to this?

You guessed it… Management training.

Management training can also be a great way to recognize the excellent management competencies your managers already possess through formal acknowledgment and accreditation.

Q&A

Should I be conducting exit interviews?

It’s not a necessity, but it could help you to learn a lot. You may learn about competitor practices. You may gain valuable feedback and identify training or manager gaps, which may help you to discover a problem you didn’t know existed and allow you to fix anything that may reduce staff turnover.

Is it my responsibility to ensure employees use their time off?

Ultimately, it’s a shared responsibility. Employees should plan and request their time off, but you, as an employer, should provide opportunities and encourage its use to comply with company policies and any applicable employment laws.

Send periodic reminders about company holidays, ask employees to check time off balances and ensure clear policies outline how and when holidays should be taken. Encourage staff to book time off, particularly if they have remaining balances near year-end. While optional, consider allowing unused time off to roll over, clearly defining this in time off policies.