What Does People Operation Mean & Why Is It Important

Duration: 5-6 minutes

People Operations, or ""People Ops,"" relates to a new approach toward executing and enhancing in what way a company can deal with its people. It''s about ensuring that everyone else is as productive as possible and feeling good when at work. This includes things like a happy workplace, the development of employees, and how they are engaged. Think of it like the buddy system for companies!

Structure of People Operations Team

As small companies consider doing everything, one would be People Operations, Human Resources, and Talent Acquisition all in one. However, the bigger a company gets, so does the People Operations team. It has different people focusing on the different pieces of how the employees have their time at work. Let us categorize this based on the size of the companies:

Smaller Companies

• Individual Practitioner: One individual performing all tasks such that it can even be said to be a dressed-up version of HR and talent acquisition.

Medium to Large Organizations

• Whole People Operations Manager: They oversee the function of the whole People Ops and ensure coordination of different areas.
• Talent Acquisition Specialist: They emphasize hiring and recruitment.
• HR Generalist: Employee relations and day-to-day HR functions are performed.

Very Large Organizations

• CPO or Head of People: In charge of the entire department of People Operations.
• Specialized Teams: Further division of roles like Employee Relations Team, Recruitment Team, Learning and Development.

This structure may vary; some organizations may use different titles or combine roles depending on the needs and the specific industry.

People Operations Role and Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities that are properly defined within an organization or a company literally shake out respectively to being the game plan of everyone. It enables everybody to know what they are supposed to do, thus they manage to work in a row and create happiness and success in their teams. Insight into People Ops, therefore, includes the following:

• Old human relation systems, including programs on the computer for paying people and tracking job applicants, are digitized.
• Employees are treated like special customers and given attention just as the special customers are.
• Support employees daily with questions about benefits and company rules.
• Track measures like how many people leave the company or how long it takes the company to replace them.
• Greet—with lots of pomp and circumstance—new employees and take care of their every need on their first day.

At the top level, People Operations concerns the overall improvement in work life. Depending on a company''s size, there might be one person doing this job or a whole team taking care of everything from welcoming new people to making sure everyone is happy at work.

Difference Between HR and People Ops

Often the terms HR and People Operations are used interchangeably, but there can be a distinction for some organizations in approach. Here is a simple breakdown of the difference:

• HR: Grounded in the old-fashioned admin-related paperwork, implies rules and policies enforcement, and focuses more on following the organizational laws and rules.
• People Operations: Modern, believes in the people, big picture, a happy work culture, focuses on keeping employees engaged and making sure everyone feels good overall.

The simpler way to look at this is to see HR as the rule-keeper, where everyone follows company rules. On the other hand, People Operations does basically the work of ensuring that everybody and everything they do are happy and work well with each other. It''s like managing a team but just with a friendlier face.

People Operations is about making work great for people. It is a modern re-envisioning of employee management—think happiness, teamwork, and a great culture of working. From updating old systems to taking on new team members, People Ops empowers employees to make their daily work lives better.

The role can vary, with some one-person departments and some operating with an entire team. In a nutshell, though, People Operations is the friendly face of managing a team, ensuring everyone feels valued, and works together happily.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a People Operations Specialist do?

A People Ops Specialist ensures that the employees'' paperwork is all correct and updated. They check data, answer questions, and help new people get started. They help new people get started and also team up with others like the hiring team to make sure everything goes smoothly for everyone involved.

To be good in the People Operations Specialist job, one needs some computer skills: Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, objectively. Helpful tools include an understanding of HRIS and payroll systems.

Basically, you should be able to figure out and solve problems and should know a whole lot about Human Resource rules and laws. You are supposed to be a pro at using computers and know a great deal about making sure everyone at work is treated right.