In the course of our work, parachuting in to different charities, gaining a sense of the culture and challenges of the organisation and then seeking to move them forwards with a key appointment, we have frequently come across issues with HR.

Christian charities, often founded by a group of like-minded friends, expand at a faster rate than they can professionalise. This leads to gaps in their HR operation, which can cause sticky problems if not addressed.

We recently chatted with HR consultant Helen Lamb, who provides support to charities, and she has passed to us a basic checklist for charities to ensure they have covered their bases. We hope that the list serves to ensure that you have no holes in your HR, and may prompt you think about what other areas of HR you may have missed.

HR Checklist

• Contracts for all employees

• Employee handbook including:

  • Working conditions, normal hours, health & safety, conduct, disciplinary and grievance
  • Leave policies - holidays, sickness, statutory leave, parental leave
  • Pay and benefits
  • Leaving - retirement, resignation, redundancy, property return
  • Privacy & GDRP
  • Modern slavery
  • Equal opportunities/diversity

• Public Policies:

  • Privacy & GDRP
  • Modern slavery
  • Equal opportunities/diversity

• Organisation specific policies and documents - e.g. Disaster recovery, safeguarding etc.