For many small real estate offices, the end of the year means holiday parties and perhaps a little time off to spend with the family, however before 2014 sneaks up on us, there are five important things small businesses should evaluate before heading into the new year.
Jennette Pokorny, Chief Operating Officer at EverNext HR, provides the following reasons why doing the below actions is so important for small business owners to complete before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.
1. Update policies and procedures/employee handbook: Make sure any changes or new polices are put into place before the end of the year and make sure they are in your employees hands and acknowledged before Dec. 31.
2. Update personnel files: Start the new year right by having all of your employees update their personal information as well as emergency contacts. This is also a good time to remind employees to update their W-4’s, if needed, for 2014.
3. Access their hiring needs: Set growth goals before the end of the year. This includes accessing the staff you have for promotion as well as for potential new positions you will have to hire for. The new year comes and goes very quickly so don’t wait to outline your projected staff needs.
4. Search for new service providers: If a small business owner is wearing too many hats and trying to run their own payroll and HR, the end of the year is the perfect time to find and choose service providers to handle these things for you.
5. Breathe: The new year is hectic. Do not try to accomplish the year end/new year tasks yourself. Small business owners often forget to ask for help and this can cause costly mistakes. Make sure to delegate tasks with