Year-end can sneak up quickly.

One minute it’s September, and the next your organization is already making decisions about employee benefits, compensation, compliance, hiring, and priorities for the coming year.

Add in holidays, employee PTO, and the everyday needs of the business, and the final months of the year can get busy fast.

That’s why a strong year-end HR checklist begins well before the end of the year.

HR touches nearly every part of an organization, and many of the decisions made during the final months of the year will have implications well into 2027. Taking time now to look at your HR priorities as a whole can help your organization identify gaps, determine what needs attention, and avoid an unnecessary year-end scramble.

Download the Free Year-End Excel HR Planning Checklist

Turn your year-end HR priorities into an actionable plan.

Year End Checklist

Our free Excel checklist gives your team a comprehensive list of HR activities and conversations to work through this fall, organized into separate September and October tabs.

Use the spreadsheet to:

  • Review key year-end HR priorities
  • Assign ownership across your team
  • Set target dates and deadlines
  • Track progress as items are completed
  • Keep year-end planning organized in one place

Complete the form below to download your free Excel checklist and start planning.

    Your Year-End HR Checklist Should Go Beyond the Basics

    Year-end HR planning is not one project or a single list of administrative tasks. It involves several interconnected areas that should be considered together.

    Your organization’s priorities will depend on its size, industry, workforce, and business goals, but a comprehensive HR year-end checklist should address the following areas.

    Wellness and Employee Benefits

    Review your current benefit offerings, employee utilization, and feedback. This is also the time to evaluate renewal decisions, prepare for open enrollment, assess wellness initiatives, and identify potential opportunities for 2027.

    Considering these items together can help your organization make thoughtful benefit decisions and communicate upcoming changes clearly to employees.

    Compensation Planning

    Evaluate the market competitiveness of your compensation program, including salary ranges, pay equity, merit increases, bonuses, and incentive plans.

    These conversations should also inform the organization’s compensation budget for the coming year. Beginning the process early gives HR, finance, and leadership time to review priorities and make informed decisions together.

    HR Legal and Compliance

    Year-end is an important time to review policies, employee handbooks, required notices, recordkeeping practices, and upcoming changes to federal, state, and local employment regulations.

    Organizations should also consider whether their current HR practices and documentation remain aligned with applicable requirements. Identifying potential concerns now provides more time to address them before the new year begins.

    Organizational Structure

    Consider whether your organization’s current structure supports where the business is headed.

    Review leadership capacity, employee roles, reporting relationships, and any areas where responsibilities may need to be clarified or adjusted. If the organization anticipates growth or other changes in 2027, its structure should be prepared to support those plans.

    Recruitment and Talent Acquisition

    Look ahead at the organization’s anticipated hiring needs for the coming year. Consider potential workforce capacity concerns, hard-to-fill positions, critical roles, succession needs, and the recruiting resources required to support business goals.

    Planning ahead can help hiring managers and leadership align on priorities before recruitment needs become urgent.

    Learning and Development

    Identify employee skill gaps, leadership development opportunities, required training, and other development priorities for employees and managers.

    Reviewing the current year’s learning and development efforts can also help your organization determine what should continue, change, or receive greater attention in 2027.

    Coaching and Mentorship

    Think intentionally about how leaders and employees will receive feedback, coaching, mentorship, and support as they grow.

    Review the effectiveness of any existing programs and consider where additional coaching or mentorship opportunities could support employee development and the organization’s broader goals.

    HR Strategic Planning for 2027

    Finally, bring these areas together by considering what the organization’s business plan requires from its people strategy.

    What should HR prioritize in 2027? What should the organization stop, start, continue, or approach differently? Where will additional resources, expertise, or leadership support be needed?

    The answers to these questions can help shape a focused and realistic HR strategy for the coming year.

    September Is a Great Time to Begin Year-End HR Planning

    The goal is not to tackle everything in September. Instead, it is to understand what is coming, determine what matters most, establish ownership, and create a manageable timeline.

    To help your organization get started, Lakeside HR Group has created a September and October HR Year-End Planning Checklist featuring key activities and conversations to begin addressing now.

    The downloadable checklist includes space to assign an owner, track progress, add deadlines, and establish target dates across areas such as:

    • Strategy and planning
    • Wellness and benefits
    • Compensation
    • HR legal and compliance
    • Recruitment and talent acquisition
    • Organizational structure
    • Learning and development
    • Coaching and mentorship
    • HR strategic planning for 2027

    Download the September and October HR Year-End Excel Planning Checklist and use it as a starting point with your leadership and HR teams.

    Fill out the below form to get your download:

      You Don’t Have to Navigate Year-End Alone

      A thoughtful year-end HR checklist can help your organization stay focused, create accountability, and enter 2027 prepared for the work that will have the greatest impact.

      You also don’t have to manage every priority alone. Whether you need an extra set of hands for a specific year-end project, specialized HR expertise, recruiting support, or help developing your 2027 people strategy, Lakeside HR Group is here to help.

      A little planning now can make year-end feel much less hectic and help your organization begin the new year with greater clarity and confidence.

      About Lakeside HR Group

      We are a premier Recruiting and HR Consulting firm connecting people and businesses through personalized, full-service solutions. As a boutique firm of seasoned HR professionals, we specialize in providing customized HR services for small to midsize businesses. With expertise across diverse industries, positions, and states throughout the U.S., we partner with our clients to discover top talent and deliver the support needed to help their businesses thrive.

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