Checklists
Monthly HR Operations Checklist
HR in a growing company is mostly the same forty things, every month, in roughly the same order — and the ones that get missed are always the ones nobody has written down. This is that list, with a cadence against each row, meant to be copied fresh every month.
Who it is for
- HR managers and executives running monthly operations
- Founders doing HR alongside another full-time job
- Operations or finance leads who inherited the people admin
- Anyone handing HR over to a new person
What it helps with
- Stop the month-end scramble before payroll
- Catch probation dates, unapproved leave and stale candidates in time
- Produce the same reports on the same date every month
- Hand the month over to someone else without a briefing
Employee records
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconcile the employee list against who is actually working here | Monthly | HR | ||
| Close out documents still missing from any personnel file | Monthly | HR | ||
| Apply address, bank, contact and emergency contact changes | Ongoing | HR | ||
| Update the org chart and reporting lines after any change | Monthly | HR | ||
| Check confirmation and probation dates falling in the next 60 days | Monthly | HR |
Attendance
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regularise the previous month and lock it | Start of month | HR | ||
| Review exceptions: missing punches, long absences, unexplained gaps | Weekly | HR | ||
| Chase managers on unapproved attendance | Weekly | HR | ||
| Confirm holiday list and any week-off changes for the month | Start of month | HR | ||
| Publish the attendance cut-off date to everyone | Monthly | HR |
Leave
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post the month’s accrual and check the balances look right | Start of month | HR | ||
| Clear leave requests still sitting unapproved | Weekly | Reporting manager | ||
| Reconcile leave taken against attendance before payroll | Monthly | HR | ||
| Flag negative balances and long unplanned absences | Monthly | HR | ||
| Check carry-forward and lapse positions as the year end approaches | Quarterly | HR |
Payroll preparation
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeze attendance and leave at the cut-off | Monthly | HR | ||
| Hand over the joiners, leavers and salary changes list | Monthly | HR | ||
| Collect approved reimbursements and variable pay inputs | Monthly | HR | ||
| Have a second person check the inputs before they are sent | Monthly | Payroll | ||
| Confirm the payroll was processed and payslips are visible | Monthly | Payroll |
New joiners
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run the onboarding checklist for everybody joining this month | Monthly | HR | ||
| Confirm each joiner made the payroll cut-off | Monthly | Payroll | ||
| Hold the day-30 HR check-in for last month’s joiners | Monthly | HR | ||
| Set probation review dates in the calendar | Monthly | HR |
Exits
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run the exit checklist for everybody leaving this month | Monthly | HR | ||
| Confirm access was closed on each last working day | Monthly | IT | ||
| Check outstanding full and final settlements against their promised dates | Monthly | Payroll | ||
| Read the month’s exit interviews together, not separately | Monthly | HR |
Recruitment
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review open roles: still open, still needed, still funded? | Monthly | HR | ||
| Move or close candidates who have been sitting at a stage too long | Weekly | HR | ||
| Confirm offers made, accepted and declined, and why | Monthly | HR | ||
| Check where hires are actually coming from, and what that costs | Quarterly | HR |
Performance
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check which employees have had no documented conversation in six months | Monthly | HR | ||
| Track review cycle progress where one is running | Monthly | HR | ||
| Follow up on agreed development or training actions | Monthly | Reporting manager | ||
| Escalate performance concerns before they become exits | Monthly | Reporting manager |
Engagement
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publish the month’s holidays, events and anything changing | Start of month | HR | ||
| Mark birthdays, work anniversaries and confirmations | Monthly | HR | ||
| Act on one thing raised last month, and say that you did | Monthly | HR | ||
| Check in with anyone who has been absent or quiet for a while | Monthly | Reporting manager |
Reporting
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce headcount: opening, joiners, leavers, closing | Monthly | HR | ||
| Produce attrition for the month and rolling twelve months | Monthly | HR | ||
| Produce people cost for the month against budget | Monthly | Finance | ||
| Report leave liability where you carry one | Quarterly | Finance | ||
| Send the pack to whoever actually reads it, on a fixed date | Monthly | HR |
Data maintenance
| Task | Frequency | Owner | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review who has access to HR data, and remove anyone who should not | Quarterly | HR | ||
| Delete duplicate and stale copies of employee spreadsheets | Monthly | HR | ||
| Check the backup actually exists and can be opened | Monthly | IT | ||
| Archive leavers past their retention period, per your policy | Quarterly | HR |
Take it with youA spreadsheet you can fill in, assign and tick off. Opens in Excel or Google Sheets. Or press print for a paper copy — this page is laid out for it.
How to use it
- Copy the sheet on the first working day of each month and rename it to that month. The point is a finished record per month, not one file you keep overwriting.
- Delete the rows that do not apply to you. A checklist with eight irrelevant lines is one people stop reading.
- Put the weekly rows into a recurring fifteen-minute slot rather than leaving them for month end.
- Fix your payroll cut-off date and publish it. Half of this list exists to protect that date.
- At month end, look at what stayed unticked two months running. That is your process problem, not your memory problem.
Tips from teams who actually keep this going
Shrink it before you start
Eleven areas is the full shape. Most companies of twenty to fifty people should be running about half of these rows. Cut it to what is true for you and add back as you grow.
One owner per row, not one owner per checklist
The Finance and IT rows are here on purpose. HR chasing them is fine; HR doing them is how the list quietly becomes a wish.
Keep the completed months
Twelve completed sheets tell you which row is missed every single month. That is the row to automate, delegate or delete.
Where to go next
Still managing attendance, leave and employee records by hand?
Flabido keeps the everyday HR work of a growing Indian company in one place — people records, leave, attendance, payroll inputs, hiring and letters. See what it does or ask for a free trial.