As the summer holidays come to an end and September begins, many businesses find themselves entering one of the busiest periods of the year. Employees return from annual leave, recruitment activity increases, business priorities shift towards achieving year-end objectives, and planning for the year ahead often begins.
While organisations naturally focus on sales, operations and finance, HR can sometimes slip down the priority list. However, taking the time to carry out an HR health check now can help identify potential risks, strengthen people practices and ensure your business is well prepared for the final quarter.
At Nectar HR, we often find that September is the ideal time for employers to review their people processes. A proactive review now can prevent time-consuming employee relations issues, improve compliance and provide confidence that your business is heading into the final months of the year with solid foundations.
Here are ten key questions every employer should be asking.
1. Are your employment contracts and HR policies up to date?
Employment legislation and best practice continue to evolve, meaning documents that were compliant a few years ago may now require updating. Outdated policies can create confusion for employees and expose organisations to unnecessary risk.
Review whether your handbook reflects current working practices and legislation, including areas such as flexible working, family leave, disciplinary and grievance procedures, equality, wellbeing and data protection.
If your business has grown or changed significantly over the past year, your documentation should evolve with it.
2. Have all probation reviews been completed?
Probationary periods provide an important opportunity to support new employees, provide feedback and ensure expectations are being met from both sides.
Unfortunately, probation reviews are often missed because managers become busy with day-to-day operations. When this happens, organisations may unintentionally allow probation periods to lapse without formally confirming employment or addressing concerns.
A structured probation process helps managers have meaningful conversations, identify training needs early and make informed decisions before probation ends.
3. Are your managers confident handling people issues?
Managers are expected to deal with a wide variety of employee situations, from performance concerns and attendance management to difficult conversations and conflict resolution.
However, many managers receive little formal training in people management. Without confidence or guidance, issues may be ignored until they become more complex.
Investing in management development not only improves consistency but also helps managers resolve issues earlier, improving employee engagement and reducing formal HR cases.
4. Are employees taking their annual leave?
As the end of the holiday year approaches, many employees realise they still have a significant amount of annual leave remaining.
Encouraging employees to spread their leave throughout the year supports wellbeing, reduces burnout and avoids operational challenges caused by multiple employees requesting time off at the same time.
Review holiday balances now and encourage managers to discuss leave plans with their teams before the traditional year-end rush.
5. Is employee wellbeing still a priority?
Following the quieter summer months, workloads often increase rapidly in September. Projects restart, business activity picks up and employees can quickly feel under pressure.
Managers should regularly check in with their teams, monitor workloads and encourage open conversations about wellbeing.
Simple actions such as regular one-to-ones, realistic workloads, flexible working where appropriate and access to wellbeing support can make a significant difference to employee engagement and productivity.
Healthy, supported employees are more likely to remain motivated and perform at their best.
6. Are your recruitment plans ready?
If you’re hoping to recruit before the end of the year, now is the time to begin planning.
September traditionally sees increased movement within the job market as candidates begin searching for new opportunities after the summer.
Review job descriptions, salary benchmarking, recruitment processes and interview availability to ensure you’re ready to attract the right talent.
Starting recruitment early also allows sufficient time for notice periods, onboarding and any pre-employment checks.
7. Are employee records complete and accurate?
Maintaining accurate employee records is an important legal and operational responsibility.
Take the opportunity to review information such as:
- Emergency contact details
- Right to work documentation
- DBS renewals (where applicable)
- Mandatory training records
- Driving licence checks
- Professional registrations
- Absence records
Keeping records up to date helps ensure compliance and allows managers to make informed decisions when needed.
8. Have you reviewed your employee relations cases?
Take a moment to consider any ongoing employee issues within your business.
Are there performance concerns that haven’t been addressed? Is there an informal grievance that needs resolving? Are sickness absences being managed consistently?
Problems rarely disappear on their own. Early intervention often leads to better outcomes for both employees and employers while reducing the likelihood of formal disputes.
9. Are you prepared for upcoming employment law changes?
Employment law continues to develop, and employers need to ensure they remain informed about legislative changes that could affect their workforce.
Regular reviews of policies, contracts and management practices help ensure compliance and reduce the risk of costly mistakes.
Working with an HR partner allows organisations to stay ahead of changes rather than reacting once legislation comes into force.
10. Are you already thinking about next year?
Although it may feel early, September is an excellent time to begin planning for the year ahead.
Consider questions such as:
- Will your workforce need to grow?
- Are there succession planning gaps?
- What management training would benefit your leaders?
- Are reward and benefits still competitive?
- What lessons have you learned this year that should shape next year’s people strategy?
Forward planning enables organisations to make informed decisions rather than reacting under pressure.
Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure
One of the most common themes we see when supporting clients is that many workplace issues could have been prevented with earlier intervention.
Whether it’s an outdated contract, a missed probation review or an unresolved performance concern, small issues have a habit of becoming much bigger, and far more expensive when left unchecked.
A September HR Health Check gives you the opportunity to pause, review your people practices and identify any areas that may need attention before the final quarter gathers pace.
How Nectar HR Can Help
At Nectar HR, we work alongside organisations of all sizes to provide practical, commercially focused HR support tailored to their business.
Whether you need a review of your employment documentation, support with employee relations, recruitment advice, management training or ongoing HR consultancy, we’re here to help you build confident managers, engaged employees and compliant workplaces.
If you’d like peace of mind that your HR is in good shape for the months ahead, why not book a free 30-minute HR consultation with one of our experienced consultants? Together, we’ll review your current arrangements, identify any potential risks and discuss practical solutions that support your business goals.