HR Spring Clean: Time to Dust Off Your People Practices

Spring has sprung! How do I know? My hayfever has been in full bloom for four days straight. While sneezing my way through some personal and business spring cleaning, I started thinking: what could an HR “spring cleaning kit” look like? With the tissues piled up beside me, I laid down to contemplate the essentials that every business should dust off when it comes to their people practices.

1. Who Really is HR?

This isn’t just a dusting—it needs a full-blown overhaul! I hear it all the time: HR is the “fun police,” the “hire and fire squad,” or “just there for the boss.” Let me clear the cobwebs on this myth.

For real life (thanks Bluey) example: I was presenting to 20 global procurement professionals and posed the question, “Who here is an HR manager?” Crickets. I rephrased: “Who here has people reporting to them?” Suddenly, all hands went up.

I pointed out that if you manage people, congratulations—you’re in HR. Got someone reporting to you? Then you’re managing the human resources of your business. People don’t leave jobs because of HR; they leave because of their boss. So, it’s time to wake up, skill up, and take ownership.

2. Sweep Through Workplace Legislation

The workplace landscape has shifted, and if you don’t lean up those workplace procedures, policies and documents they could come back to bite you. A quick reminder of some of the changes:

• Changes to casual employment definitions
• Right to disconnect
• Same job, same pay (paying employees the same as contractors for the same job)
• Strengthened sexual harassment laws
• Maximum fixed-term employment limits
• Proactively managing psychosocial risks
• Paid domestic and family violence leave

For a complete rundown, check out the Fair Work Ombudsman site. If any of these sound unfamiliar, it’s time to grab the micro-fibre cloth and give your policies a much-needed refresh. It could be a completely new policies or updates to your current ones. And don’t forget these need to be accessible by all staff, remote, site and office based.

3. Psychosocial Risks: Time to Tidy Up

Psychosocial risks are no longer a hidden mess you can sweep under the rug—they’re your responsibility to address. Whether it’s managing workloads, preventing bullying, or improving support systems, business owners and leaders are now on the frontlines of keeping these risks at bay. Most of the legislative changes listed above are linked to a psychosocial factor. The key to prevention? Having well-equipped, effective managers who can navigate these challenges.

But where do you start? A quick win is setting up an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), giving your team access to professional mental health support when they need it. It’s no longer a nice-to-have; it’s essential. Then, invest in educating your entire workforce on what can put someone into an unsafe place and at it’s core, we are talking about personality.  By learning what motivates, stresses, and engages your employees, you’ll have the insights to prevent burnout, reduce conflict, and boost overall job satisfaction.  And you can’t go past DiSC profiling coupled with a workshop for everyone to participate.  Check out your DiSC cleaning kit here.

4. Clean Up Your Training

If this spring clean list hasn’t screamed it already: your leaders need education, training, and support—beyond a 30-minute webinar. Leadership isn’t something you can policy your way out of. How a leader handles out-of-hours contact, high job demands, employee personal crises and conflict within the workplace will reduce or increase your risks.

Remember, everyone managing people is in HR, but they don’t need an HR degree. What they do need is regular coaching and the confidence to say, “Great question! Let me find out.” Couple that with DiSC knowledge and applying this to their individual team members, you’ll have a leadership team ready to bloom.

5. Spruce Up Your Employer Brand

The talent market has been a rollercoaster lately, and while everyone’s had different experiences, one thing is crystal clear—those who’ve invested in their employer brand are finding the ride a lot smoother. It’s all about employer branding.

Think of it this way: what are potential employees “shopping” for when they consider working for you? What impression do they get when they check out your digital footprint? Are they finding an appealing, well-organised brand, or is it cookie-cutter and outdated? A fresh value proposition—your ‘why’ for working at your company—is the foundation. Then, it’s time to tidy up and polish your online presence.

Start with a sleek “About Us” page, revamp your social media profiles, and don’t forget your LinkedIn company page. Employee testimonials, team achievements, and positive stories should be front and center. Just like a spring clean at home makes everything feel lighter and brighter, refreshing your employer brand will help you stand out and attract top talent in no time.

6. Look Back to Spring Forward

Just like you can’t declutter a room without knowing what’s piled up, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Legislation now requires businesses to measure psychosocial risks annually (yes, it’s mandatory!) but why stop there? Think of it as a full HR spring clean—get a complete picture of your employees’ workplace experience, and go beyond basic engagement surveys.

We’re talking about measuring culture, leadership effectiveness, and how well your business handles change management. These factors are the dust bunnies hiding in the corners of your organisation, and it’s time to sweep them out. Don’t just stick to one data point—collect a variety of insights. My go-tos include exit interviews, employee retention rates, performance evaluations, salary benchmarking, and EAP usage.

Final Sweep

Just like a good spring clean breathes fresh air into your home, revamping your HR practices can energise your business. By redefining who’s really in HR, updating policies, addressing psychosocial risks, and investing in your leaders, you’re setting the stage for a workplace that thrives. It’s not just about compliance or ticking boxes—it’s about creating a culture where people want to stick around. So, grab your HR “cleaning kit,” roll up your sleeves, and get to work. Because a business that’s refreshed, engaged, and aligned is one that’s ready to bloom all year round.