As the future of work moves rapidly towards an autonomous, results-based work model, more and more companies are realizing the need to support and engage workers. People Operations managers play a strategic role in boosting productivity and well-being at companies.

Who are people operations managers?

People ops puts employees first: it involves all actions that help employees be productive at work, from the moment they're hired to the moment they leave. They aim to understand employees holistically as individual contributors, whereas the traditional HR mindset view them more as a resource or asset, to be calculated and managed for efficiency.

As Buffer puts it: “If “old HR” is about managing, rules, and policies, People Operations is about designing work so that you want to be there – present, engaged, and proud of what you do.”

Example responsibilities:

• Modernize and digitalize outdated, bureaucratic HR systems, including payroll and applicant tracking software.
• Treat employees as internal customers and increase their satisfaction.
• Support employees on a day-to-day basis and answer questions about benefits and company policies.
• Keep track of and analyze HR metrics (e.g. turnover rates, time to hire).
• Onboard new employees and ensure they have access to necessary resources and tech.

The Shift from HR to People Teams

Popularized by Google, HR has been increasingly re-branded to People or "People Operations" in the tech world.

• Traditional HR: Ensuring compliance and decreasing liability issues
• People Teams: Maximizing employee value through talent acquisition and management, employee experience and culture

Here's how recruiting & hiring platform Greenhouse viewed the shift from Traditional HR to New People Teams: