Most small businesses reach the end of the year with HR tasks left unfinished — not because they don’t care, but because they’re busy running the company. The problem is that loose ends in December turn into compliance problems, payroll issues, and employee confusion in January.
Here’s the simple, no-fluff HR checklist that gets your business clean, compliant, and ready for 2026. No legal jargon. No 20-page documents. Just what needs to be done.
1. Update Your Employee Handbook for 2026
Laws change every year, and handbooks get outdated fast.
Review these areas first:
✔ Paid sick leave
✔ Meal and rest breaks
✔ Attendance and call-out procedures
✔ Remote work expectations
✔ Paid holidays and PTO rollover
✔ Harassment reporting process
✔ Disciplinary and termination procedures
If it hasn’t been reviewed in over a year, it’s outdated.
2. Review Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Status
This is one of the most expensive mistakes small businesses make.
Ask three questions for every salaried employee:
- Do they actually meet the exemption test?
- Do their duties match the classification?
- Does their salary meet the required minimum for 2026?
If any one of these is “no,” the employee is not exempt, even if they’re salaried.
This single audit can prevent major wage-and-hour issues.
3. Clean Up Your I-9 & Payroll Documentation
Year-end is the perfect time to audit:
✔ I-9s (complete, correct, stored properly)
✔ W-4 forms
✔ Pay rate changes
✔ Overtime calculations
✔ Missed punches and manual edits
✔ Terminated employee documentation
Small mistakes here lead to big problems later.
4. Update Job Descriptions (Most Are Outdated)
Job descriptions often evolve throughout the year without being updated.
Check for:
• Actual duties performed
• Required skills
• Physical requirements
• Exempt vs non-exempt alignment
• Reporting relationships
• Any changes from reorganizations
Clear descriptions help with hiring, performance, and compliance.
5. Close Out 2025 Performance Reviews
If your business struggles with performance conversations, here’s the simplest structure:
✔ What they did well
✔ What didn’t go well
✔ What needs to change
✔ What support they need
✔ What the first 30 days of 2026 should look like
Most employees don’t need a long review; they need clarity.
6. Audit Your PTO Balances and Policies
Make sure you’re clear and consistent on:
• Rollover rules
• Payout rules (state-specific)
• PTO requests in December
• Blackout dates
• Sick leave vs PTO
December confusion = January complaints.
7. Assign Mandatory Training Before January
Most small businesses skip training until something breaks.
At minimum, schedule:
✔ Harassment & discrimination training
✔ Safety training
✔ Wage and hour basics
✔ Manager accountability training
✔ Leadership fundamentals
If your company uses online learning, finish 2025 courses and assign new ones for Q1.
8. Plan Your 2026 Leadership Development Strategy
Don’t let leadership training be an afterthought.
Here’s a simple plan that works for small teams:
• Monthly coaching for managers
• One skill per quarter (communication, accountability, coaching, feedback)
• A mid-year workshop
• Simple scripts and tools
• Quarterly goal alignment
Leadership doesn’t improve by accident — it improves through consistency.
9. Review Turnover, Hiring Needs, and Pay Equity
Year-end is the perfect time to look at:
✔ Why people left
✔ Who you need in Q1
✔ Pay equity gaps
✔ Market pay adjustments
✔ Employee engagement trends
A 30-minute review prevents costly surprises when business ramps up in January.
10. Set Your HR Priorities for 2026
Keep it simple. Choose three priorities for the new year.
Examples:
• Build stronger managers
• Reduce turnover
• Fix performance conversations
• Improve employee communication
• Streamline onboarding
• Update policies
• Improve accountability
Three priorities are manageable. Ten priorities get ignored.
Final Thoughts:
Year-end HR doesn’t have to be complicated.
When you focus on the essentials — compliance, documentation, communication, and leadership — you protect your business and set your team up to succeed in 2026.
If you want help completing your year-end HR checklist quickly, effectively, and without stress, I offer a simple monthly retainer that takes these tasks off your plate.
