The Mid-Year HR Matrix

As we hit the halfway mark of 2025, do you take the red pill or the blue pill… are you really aware of what’s really happening in your workplace? Well, now is the perfect time to hit pause, reflect, and review your approach to HR. 

Think you’re too small for an HR team? If you have employees you still have a responsibility to have effective HR practices. There’s no need to be dodging “HR Bullets” like Neo. 

Whether you’re a start-up scaling fast or an SME juggling priorities, a mid-year HR health check can help you spot risks early, identify opportunities for improvement and set the stage for a strong second half of the year.

At Ig-hr, we work with growing businesses every day, helping them build confident managers, retain great people, and create workplaces they’re proud of. And we know that a proactive review now can prevent firefighting later.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself this June:

• Have your HR policies been updated recently? Think flexible working, wellbeing, or harassment, have they kept up with changes in law? OR has your team grown and the way you work is different from before?
• Are your managers confident in leading their teams? Or are you doing everything yourself? Would you benefit from providing training on things like feedback, performance conversations, or managing conflict? What does your employee engagement really look like? Is your team energised, connected, and aligned with your mission, or are cracks starting to show? Have you considered having a pulse check on engagement?
• Are you attracting (and keeping) the right talent? Has your onboarding process evolved with your team’s growth? Do you have a written process covering what needs to happen when a new employee joins the team?

If any of those questions give you pause. You’re not alone. Most growing businesses don’t have time to stop and reflect. But that’s exactly why now is the time to do it.

Don’t Fall Into the Mid-Year Trap

We hear it all the time:

• “We’ll look at that later.”
• “We’re too busy with delivery.”
• “It can wait until Q4.” 

But here’s the truth, by Q4, it’s often too late to implement meaningful change. 

Burnout is higher. 

Budgets are tighter. 

Momentum is lost.

Doing a mid-year check-in allows you to spot problems early and put in place simple, smart fixes that protect your business performance, your people  and your culture.

HR Health Checks That Make a Difference

At Ig-hr we believe in doing good HR that is practical and proactive. Our mid-year HR Health Checks are designed to give you clarity on what’s working, where the risks are, and what small changes will make a big difference.  What gets covered?

• We check that your employment contracts and policies are compliant with the latest employment law. 
• We help you identify any risk in your current HR practices from hiring to exit.
• We talk to you about the current challenges you are facing when it comes to people management and help you identify the actions that will make a difference.
• We can complete an employee engagement survey to gather feedback from your team about what they love about working with you and what they think could be improved to help you attract and retain employees.

Quick Wins 

Even if you’re not ready for a full audit, here are a few things you can do this June to strengthen your HR and team engagement:

• Run a 10-minute team pulse survey. Get a snapshot of how people are feeling.
• Check in with your managers. Do they feel supported and capable?
• Review your onboarding process. Is it still fit for purpose as you grow?
• Update key policies. Especially if you haven’t looked at them since 2023/24.
• Start conversations. Ask your team what’s working and what could be better.

Whether you need a sounding board, a second opinion, or hands-on HR support, we’re here to help. Let’s take the guesswork out of your HR and give you the confidence to lead your team through the second half of the year, to infinity and beyond.

Book your free discovery call or chat to us about our mid-year HR Health Checks and let’s build a brilliant workplace together.