5 HR procedures every Perth small business should have in place 

Running a small business means wearing a lot of hats. You might be responsible for sales, finances, operations, customers and, increasingly, your people. 

As your team grows, having a few practical HR procedures for your small business can make a significant difference. Good HR procedures give managers and business owners a clear framework to follow, help employees understand what is expected of them and give business owners more confidence when people issues arise. 

You do not need a huge HR manual or a complicated corporate system. The goal is to have simple, practical processes that suit your business and provide consistency. 

If you are a small business in Perth, here are five HR procedures worth having in place. 

1. Recruitment and onboarding 

Your HR processes should start before someone even becomes an employee. 

A clear recruitment and onboarding procedure sets out how employees are selected, employed and welcomed into your business. It can cover everything from advertising a position and conducting interviews through to reference checks, employment contracts and the employee’s first day. 

Your procedure should make it clear who is responsible for recruitment decisions and what checks need to be completed before an employee starts. 

Once they join the business, onboarding should give new employees all the information they need to understand their role and become part of the team. 

This might include a workplace induction, introduction to key people, an overview of policies and procedures, safety information, systems access and clear position expectations. 

Good onboarding can help new employees become productive sooner while reducing misunderstandings about their role, responsibilities and workplace expectations. 

For Perth employers, having a consistent recruitment and onboarding process also provides a stronger foundation as your business grows and you bring more people into the team. 

2. Pay, hours and leave 

Pay and leave are areas where having a clear process is particularly important. 

Your HR procedures should explain how hours are recorded, how timesheets are submitted and approved, and how overtime or allowances are managed where applicable. 

You should also have a straightforward process for employees requesting annual leave, personal leave and other types of leave, including who approves requests and how they are recorded. 

Make payroll responsibilities and cut-off dates clear so everyone understands what is expected.  

Accurate processes can help prevent underpayments, record-keeping issues and unnecessary frustration for both employees and managers. 

For a small business in Perth, getting your payroll and employment processes right is an important part of staying on top of your workplace obligations. Your HR procedures should work alongside the relevant award, employment contract and workplace laws that apply to your business. 

3. Workplace concerns and complaints 

Every workplace needs a clear way for employees to raise concerns. 

Your HR complaints procedure should explain who employees can speak to and how concerns will be handled. This is particularly important for issues involving bullying, harassment, discrimination, workplace conflict or safety. 

Employees should know that they can raise a genuine concern without being dismissed or ignored. 

Your procedure should also set expectations around confidentiality, appropriate communication and how the business will respond. 

Not every workplace concern will require a formal investigation. However, having a consistent process helps managers know what to do when an issue is raised rather than trying to work it out on the spot. 

For business owners, this can provide reassurance that difficult workplace issues will be handled thoughtfully and consistently. 

4. Performance and conduct management 

Performance issues rarely improve by themselves. 

A practical performance management procedure gives managers a framework for setting expectations, providing feedback and addressing concerns early. 

It should explain how performance or conduct concerns will be raised, how employees will be given an opportunity to respond and what support or improvement may be required. 

The process should also allow the business to distinguish between a performance issue and a conduct or disciplinary issue. 

Consistency is important. Employees should understand what is expected of them, while managers should feel confident having difficult conversations when expectations are not being met. 

For small business HR, this is one of the most valuable procedures to have in place because it gives managers something to follow when a situation becomes challenging. 

5. Safety, injuries and workplace wellbeing 

HR procedures should also cover what happens when an employee is injured, reports a hazard or raises a workplace wellbeing concern. 

Your procedure should explain how hazards, incidents and injuries are reported and who needs to be notified. 

It is also important to consider both physical and psychosocial risks in your workplace. Workplace wellbeing can be influenced by factors such as excessive workloads, poor workplace relationships, bullying, harassment and other organisational issues. 

Your procedures should also consider how you will support employees to remain at work safely or return to work following an injury or period of absence. 

The right approach will depend on your workplace, industry and team, but having a clear process means managers are less likely to be caught off guard when something happens. 

Keep your HR procedures practical 

HR procedures do not need to be complicated, overly corporate or filled with legal jargon. 

The best HR procedures for small businesses are practical, easy for managers to understand and suited to the way your business operates. 

Having these five areas covered gives you a solid HR foundation and can make it much easier to respond when recruitment, performance, leave, complaints or workplace issues arise. 

If you are a Perth small business owner and are not sure whether your HR processes are where they need to be, or just need some of the processes and documents checked over you do not have to figure it all out yourself. 

Your People Expert can help you develop practical HR procedures that fit your business, support your team and give you greater confidence in managing your people, we have retainer options, and another service – our  ‘HR Foundations Roadmap’ that can take a look at where there HR is at, review documents and give your business a clear road map to successfully continue and comply with HR policies as the business grows. For more information on our HR services contact us today.