Diane Bankhead, Office Manager–East Portland Neurology

What is an HR Review? An HR Review is an objective look at critical aspects within the human resources function to determine areas that are going well and those that can be improved upon. These reviews are sometimes referred to as HR Audits.

Why is this useful? Reviews can be part of a comprehensive, proactive plan to catch issues that could result in legal liability before they become bigger, expensive, time consuming problems such as legal discrimination charges or investigations by government agencies. For example, a review of a company’s employee handbook could indicate that there is no documented internal process for reporting harassment. This oversight could lead to harassment charges being filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) vs. being resolved effectively internally. Other benefits of and HR Review include: identifying continuous improvement opportunities, highlighting training needs, improving efficiency and finding areas to reduce costs.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “The cost of conducting an HR compliance audit will be far less than defending (let alone losing) even one lawsuit.”

What is typically audited? It is important at the outset to set the scope. All-encompassing HR reviews cover all aspects of the HR function which may be biting off more than you can chew. Another approach is to look at some of the areas that traditionally cause most of the issues. (The 80%-20% rule again!) These areas can vary depending on your company, industry, and other particulars, but typically include policies, procedures, hiring practices, employment record-keeping, required postings, former/ongoing complaints, performance management practices, disciplinary actions, and absenteeism practices.

When is a good time to conduct a review? A review can occur at any time, but an ideal opportunity is when: significant organizational change has occurred, growth of a business, reductions/layoffs, opening new facilities in another state or country, when it has been over (or well over) a year since the Employee Handbook has been updated, or you area running into potential hot button issues such as harassment, disciplinary actions, terminations, etc. Another good reason to conduct an HR review is that one has never been done and company leaders would like to have a better understanding of their HR systems–both strengths and areas for improvement.

How do I obtain more information? For more details, please email or call TJ & Associates at: Info@TJandassociates.com or 360-263-2676. We are happy to discuss the process in more detail and answer any questions you may have during a complimentary one hour consultation.



Tracy Peterkin joined the company in 2003. With an employment background in Human Resource Management and Recruiting, she broadened the spectrum of HR service offerings for our Clients.

In April, 2009 Tracy was promoted to Operations and Human Resource Manager with TJ & Associates and in July, 2010 she became Company President and Owner. “I am proud to provide value-added HR and recruiting services to businesses as a trusted member of their external professional team.”

Since the beginning, we have been serving Southwest Washington, the greater Portland area—and beyond. TJ & Associates has a strong history of working collaboratively with many outstanding organizations to create positive results and long-term relationships.

To learn more about TJ & Associates please download our informative PDF brochure.

Prior to joining TJ & Associates in 2003 as an HR Consultant, she worked for The Quaker Oats Company and Solvay Chemicals (formerly Solvay Interox).

Tracy has been certified through the Human Resource Certification Institute as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) since 2003. Areas of strength include HR consulting, recruiting, training and employee relations. Tracy is active in the SW WA Human Resource Management Association (SWHRMA), the Vancouver Professional Network and the La Center Music Association.

To learn more about Tracy please download our informative PDF brochure