People operations, sometimes referred to as people ops, is a professional field and organizational function that deals with the management and development of employees, through various aspects of

employment Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

. These include

organizational culture Organizational culture encompasses the shared norms, values, corporate language and behaviors - observed in schools, universities, not-for-profit groups, government agencies, and businesses - reflecting their core values and strategic direction. ...

, upskilling, compliance with

labor law Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...

, hiring and

onboarding Onboarding or organizational socialization is the American term for the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders. In other than American ...

, interpersonal relations, performance management, policy and process development, employee engagement, employee recognition, and working to ensure that a system of personal and professional development is maintained for all employees at a given organization. People operations is a holistic reinvention of traditional

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...

, and is tailored to a more modern workplace and work practices, such as remote roles and global teams. It aims to people first in company decision-making. While there is some overlap between human resources and people operations in teams of tasks and responsibilities, the overarching methodology of people ops is quite distinct. HR has historically been centered around

policies Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

, business goals, compliance with labor legislation, and

payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

-related matters. People ops, in contrast, focuses on

learning and development Training and development involves improving the effectiveness of organizations and the individuals and teams within them. Training may be viewed as being related to immediate changes in effectiveness via organized instruction, while development ...

(L&D), role fulfilment, recognition and reward, personal and professional development, interpersonal relations, successful interfacing between senior management and other employees, organizational values and identity,

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

and

mentoring Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

employee engagement Employee engagement is a fundamental concept in the effort to understand and describe, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the nature of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An "engaged employee" is defined as one who ...

, and

diversity, equity, and inclusion In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...

(DEI). People operations positions itself as highly integrated across business departments, and aims to utilize a proactive, people-focused mindset to drive cultural cohesion, integration, career satisfaction, and employee retention. People ops takes the humanistic side of

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

, as well as the entire employee lifecycle (from hiring to departure) into consideration. In contrast to human resources, people operations seeks to focus on people's intrinsic value, and the ways that upskilling, rewarding, and keeping employees

happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

contributes directly to overall business success. People operations is therefore based on employee-driven growth. In vernacular usage, people operations can refer to the people operations (people) department of a business, or to the people operations field in which such practitioners work. Similar fields with a more specific focus, which may be situated underneath a people operations department, are employee experience and employee success. Companies that have switched to using a people operations methodology, instead of traditional HR, include

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc., is an American company that provides content delivery network services, cybersecurity, DDoS mitigation, wide area network services, reverse proxies, Domain Name Service, ICANN-accredited domain registration, and other se ...

Yelp Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in S ...

Relativity Space Relativity Space Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Long Beach, California. Relativity Space is new product development, developing manufacturing technologies, launch vehicles, and rock ...

Propel Propel or propelling may refer to: * Propulsion, to push forward or drive an object forward * Samsung A767 Propel, a mobile phone ** Samsung i627 Propel Pro * Propel Water, a drink from the makers of Gatorade * Propel, a steroid eluting sinus ...

, and Credible Labs.

Activities

The people operations field is quite broad, and may vary in the size of its scope depending on a particular company's goals, or the needs of a specific role. However, in general, People ops is likely to cover the following functions: * Crafting a positive, sustainable

* Developing and maintaining a system of organizational values, and an

organizational identity Organizational identity is a field of study in organizational theory, that seeks the answer to the question: "who are we as an organization?" The concept was first defined by Albert and Whetten (1985) and later updated and clarified by Whetten (20 ...

* Ensuring a system of

employee recognition Employee recognition is the timely, informal or formal acknowledgement of a person's behavior, effort, or business result that supports the organization's goals and values, and exceeds their superior's normal expectations. Recognition has been held ...

is in place * Implementing and managing a comprehensive

performance review "Performance Review" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'' and the show's fourteenth episode overall. It was written by Larry Wilmore and directed by Paul Feig. It first aired on No ...

process * Developing suitable business

and processes * Engaging with employees, for example via surveys * Conducting

and

of other senior employees, for matters relating to, for example, interpersonal relations, people management,

succession planning Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant. Succession planning in ...

, reward, and communication * Tracking and improving upon

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

in the workplace * Overseeing skills management, probation periods, and performance improvement plans * Ensuring compliance with applicable local labor legislation * Engaging in

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

negotiations Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or Collective bargaining, collective, or craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. The parties aspire to agree on m ...

salary A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. ...

benchmarking, promotions, and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

management in times of business change * Managing the hiring,

, and

offboarding Employee offboarding describes the separation process when an employee leaves a company. The offboarding process might involve a phased transfer of knowledge from the departing employee to a new or existing employee; an exit interview; return of an ...

processes of a business * Administrating people management systems * Tracking

salaries A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. Sa ...

, and ensuring fair compensation and benefits * Involvement in

and

expense management Expense management refers to the systems deployed by a business to process, pay, and audit employee-initiated expenses. These costs include, but are not limited to, expenses incurred for travel and entertainment. Expense management includes the poli ...

* Tracking various employee-related

metrics Metric or metrical may refer to: Measuring * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics ...

, such as job satisfaction, churn, and performance * Creating and maintaining a system of communication and feedback across departments * Enabling and driving

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

and

personal development Personal development or self-improvement consists of activities that develops a person's capabilities and potential, enhance quality of life, and facilitate the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal development may take place over the ...

, through, for example,

(L&D) programs and

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

References

{{Reflist Diversity (business) Coaching Job evaluation Employee relations Organizational culture Industrial and organizational psychology Organizational behavior Workplace Personal development Employment compensation Labour law Labor relations Business ethics Leadership

Activities

See also

References