HR Audit Checklist

To stay organised when completing an HR audit, it’s often recommended to make use of a checklist of critical points that the team can systematically work through. The checklist template below can provide a good starting point for your HR audit:

Recruitment & Selection

• How are your recruitment tools working? Are any changes needed?
• Are your job descriptions accurate and up to date? 
• Are the qualifications you require applied uniformly across candidates?

Hiring & Onboarding Process

• Is the ATS working properly and meeting your business needs?
• If you have a mentor program in place for new hires, how is it working? If you don’t have one, should you start?
• Are your hiring strategies non-discriminatory and consistent? Are they working well to bring in quality candidates?

Regulatory Compliance

• Do all practices and policies comply with relevant employment laws, e.g. paid time off, disability leave, family and medical leave, etc?
• Are attendance policies compliant with current laws?
• Are your health and safety policies and practices up to date with current laws and enforced properly?

Employee Records, Data Protection & Storage

• Is your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) working well for your business needs? 
• Is there sufficient and accurate information in your personnel files, e.g. performance reviews, records of employee claims, etc?
• Is employee data stored in a secure location? Are there identity access management systems in place to ensure only authorised personnel can view records?
• Have you ensured personal health information is protected?

Compensation & Benefits

• Are there any mistakes or discrepancies in the salary structure or payroll deductions of any employee or group of employees?
• Do your compensation and benefits packages meet or exceed the national pay scale? Are they competitive in the market?
• Are there any pay gaps based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, etc?
• Are there any new laws regarding salaries, minimum wages or benefit requirements to account for?
• Have all benefits been communicated to employees? Are all offered benefits being fully utilised? Are there new benefits that should be offered?
• Do you need to account for external factors in upcoming compensation discussions (e.g. inflation, economic changes, etc.)?

Training

• Are your training programs sufficient for business needs?
• Are there new training programs needed to keep up with technological, industry or wider economic changes?
• Are employees satisfied with training and growth opportunities?

Policies & Procedures

• Are the organisation’s policies and procedures communicated clearly to employees? Are they upheld consistently and fairly?
• Are your HR policies and practices comparable to those of your competitors?

Employee Handbook

• Are there any mistakes in the employee handbook? Does any language need to be updated?
• Have new changes in the handbook been communicated to employees?
• Do you have a running list of HR issues that weren’t already covered in the handbook? Do they need to be added?
• Is the handbook being used by employees? Can they easily find answers to their questions or is there confusion on where to look for information?