HR Foundations Review: Identify the Gaps, Reduce Risk and Build a Stronger Workplace

For most small business owners, HR gets attention when there's time, which usually means when something goes wrong. A contract needs updating, a difficult performance conversation can't wait any longer, or a key person resigns and you realise how much was never written down.

A HR foundations review flips that around. It's a structured check of your people practices, so you can see what's working, where the gaps are and what to fix first, before those gaps turn into problems.

What is a HR foundations review?

It's a review of your employment documents, pay and records, policies and day-to-day people practices, checked against the rules that apply to your business and against what you need as you grow.

It isn't about finding fault or creating more paperwork. It's about giving you a clear, prioritised picture of where you stand.

What we check: compliance and risk

These are the foundations every employer needs to get right.

• Employment contracts. Do they reflect how each role actually works today, and are they consistent with the Award or agreement that applies?
• Award coverage and pay. Is each employee under the right Modern Award and classification, and are base rates, penalty rates, overtime and allowances being paid correctly?
• Information statements. Did every new starter receive the Fair Work Information Statement, and casual employees the Casual Employment Information Statement?
• Pay slips and records. Pay slips must be issued within one working day of payday, and employee records kept for seven years (Fair Work Ombudsman). Are yours complete, accurate and stored properly?
• Workplace policies. Do you have current policies on bullying, harassment and discrimination, and do they reflect your positive duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment?
• Psychosocial safety. Are you identifying and managing risks to mental health, such as excessive workload, poor support or workplace conflict?
• Right to disconnect. Do your expectations about after-hours contact reflect employees' right to disconnect?

What we check: people practices

Compliance protects the business. These areas are what help you keep good people.

• Recruitment and onboarding. Is the experience consistent, and does a new starter know what's expected of them from day one?
• Performance and development. Do people have clear expectations, regular feedback and room to grow? Is there a fair process when performance falls short?
• Leadership. Do your managers have the tools and confidence to handle difficult conversations?
• Engagement and retention. What keeps people with you, and what's pushing them away?
• HR strategy. Will your current people practices still work when you're twice the size?

The aim is to focus on what matters most to your business, not to introduce processes for the sake of having them.

Why now? Recent changes small businesses should know about

The rules have moved quickly over the past few years, and many small businesses haven't caught up:

• Wage theft is now a crime. Since 1 January 2025, intentionally underpaying wages or entitlements has been a criminal offence. Small businesses that follow the Voluntary Small Business Wage Compliance Code have a safe harbour from criminal referral, but only if they can show they're following it.
• The right to disconnect now covers small business. Since 26 August 2025, employees of small businesses (fewer than 15 employees) have had the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact outside working hours, unless refusing is unreasonable.
• Psychosocial risks are a safety duty. Since 1 October 2022, NSW employers have been required to manage psychosocial hazards in the same way as physical ones.

A review is the simplest way to check you're on the right side of all three.

What you get

• A clear summary of what's working well.
• A prioritised list of gaps, ranked by risk: what to fix now, what to address in the next few months, and what can wait until you grow.
• Practical recommendations a small business can actually act on.
• The option of support to put the changes in place, whether that's updated contracts, new policies or a performance process.

A HR foundations review for a typical small business takes one to two weeks. At the end, you'll receive a written report highlighting the key areas to focus on.

When is a review worth doing?

• You're about to hire your first or next employee.
• You've grown and your HR practices haven't kept up.
• Turnover has increased, or exit conversations keep raising the same issues.
• You've had a complaint, a dispute or a near miss.
• Your contracts and Award pay have never been independently checked.
• You know your team needs more (better development, communication or connection) but you don't have the time to build it.

You don't need to wait until something has gone wrong.

Why work with us?

Shaadi Tavakoli brings 13 years of generalist HR experience, in Australia and in international markets across the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, working in consulting, financial services, education, not-for-profit and hospitality. That breadth means looking beyond individual issues to the bigger picture: your people, your business, your culture and how they fit together.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to HR. The review is scaled to your business, and the recommendations are ones you can realistically put in place.

Not sure where your HR stands?

A HR foundations review gives you clarity on what's working, what needs attention and where to focus next. Start with a free, confidential call, or read more about our compliance and policy and HR advisory services.