Capsyl Consulting

I have a radical proposition for companies "looking for HR person to handle employee relations" (sigh, so much to tackle in that phrase)! 1st, the premise - this is ?????????????? why the 'evil HR' sentiment persists ?? 2nd - if you’re still calling it employee relations, come join us in 2024. Try employee experience or employee success Better yet — and this is wild — I argue what you ???????????????? need is to craft (and make transparent) ?????????????? ???????????????????????? that outlines: ?? a shared expectation for leaders, managers, AND team members to communicate, succeed, lead (humans) and manage (processes, resources, and tasks). Because EVERYONE deserves clear expectations to be effective. ?? managers must first develop a “role charter” outlining expectations for the role, and what success looks like, before hiring. ?? managers should have a Ramp Plan ready on the new hire’s Day 1. ?? managers should be actively connecting the dots between individual → team → company goals. Ideally they are also connecting to purpose as well. ?? managers should be doing REGULAR and FREQUENT 1:1s ?? managers should treat 1:1s as the direct report’s time. If 39.5 hrs a week supports the manager, the team, the company — this time is meant to SERVE THEM. Good 1:1s cover:? ? Low-intensity / early course-correct feedback ? Support to them (more resources, remove barriers, advice or sponsorship) ? Bottom-up feedback? ? Goals & development revisit? ? Wins & Moments that Matter? ? Big Hairy Topic discussion ? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????????? ? ?????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ????????, ?? ???????????? ?????????????? ???? ????????-?????? ?????????????? ?? managers & team members should practice “clean escalation” if there is disagreement about an issue. Ideally skip-levels and a culture promoting responsible dissent and org feedback is in place to support this. ?? managers should double down on 1:1 feedback with monthly or quarterly ‘where you stand’ performance check-in that leaves no room for misinterpretation. It should NOT be conveyed as a number or ranking. ?? managers should recognize and promote team members’ accomplishments, contributions and wins. Ideally they are enabled with several avenues, and use their direct report’s preferred recognition language or reward method. ?? managers should be direct if something isn't working and EXPLICITLY say (not imply) if someone’s job is at risk. This should NEVER be a surprise. If managers are doing the right things above, performance issues are easier to grasp & recover from, and (fewer) exits are more dignified and less dramatic. A People person is proactive in building guidance, processes, mechanisms to support all. Many of us have moved away from "HR" as it represents a REACTIVE approach. ?? My take: Don't look for HR to handle employee relations, look for a People person to help setup managers for success (so they can setup the team to succeed) ??

Founders are sometimes told -- by investors, board members and 'experts' (that curiously haven't been hands-on in TODAY's workplace) -- that they should not hire a People Team person until they've reached XX headcount (IE: 50+ employees). It's bad advice. Substituting a solid people/ops foundation with a hodgepodge of google, old-school advice, and winging-it for bare bones needs, usually has widespread (negative) effects. The 'basics' are are often pretty flawed, as companies: ? overpay (and get locked into) crap HRtech that doesn’t scale well? ? rolled out archaic legalese policies (that no one reads because they are terrible) ? Implement antiquated practices seen & felt by employees (and candidates) Frustration with unaddressed gaps and pressure on weak practices builds until something breaks and/or an “HR crisis” occurs, like:? ? mass and/or high attrition ? widespread performance issues ? threat of lawsuit or reports/complaints ? — then a People person is hired. These first-of People team hires walk in “reacting” with little context or credibility. They are tasked to fix issues, be the face of exits and/or crisis-induced change, all while triaging not-great (sometimes illegal) practices in place. To (under)state the obvious, they are not setup for success. Thus, I aim to support startups who believe they aren't yet ready to hire someone (or support team-of-one people who are underwater, doing something for the first time, or need some backup). Here's how I help: ?? I build foundations for now AND the future, setting you up to handle inflection points and avoid landmines ?? I craft and/or refine processes, practices & norms that foster performance and positive culture ?? I implement low-touch, intuitive tech that keeps things easy (so folks can focus on their real job) ?? I help you align with a modern workforce, tech, and practices ?????? ????????'?? ?????? ?? ????????: ? I don’t bill “per project” ? ??????????????, ?? ???? ??????????-???????? (?????? ???? ????????), ???????????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? (?????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ??????????????) ? I don’t charge by the hour, slow-rolling and drip-feeding results ? ?? ?????? ?? ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ??I don't work/communicate transactionally with a single person ? ??????????????, ?? ???????????? & ?????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????? ???? ?????????? ???????????? & ?????? ?????????????????? ???????? ?????????? ?????????????????? & ?????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????. ? I do not split my time between multiple clients, making me slow to respond ? ??????????????, ?? ?????????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? (???????????????? ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ????????, ???????? ????????????) _________ ??????????? ???? ?????? ?????????????????? ? Learn more: capsylconsulting.com ? Email me: [email protected]? ? Book time: calendly.com/alyp888

I’ll never forget my favorite response during a People & Ops Diagnostic. About 90 days ago I kicked off with my fave client to date - AWL Strategies - and went through my list of questions assessing where time should be spent on building or upleveling processes & practices. About halfway through, I got to the questions around equitable hiring & pay practices and I instinctively braced for pushback. Instead they surprised me with “???? ????????????!”... Then a second later “…???? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???? ???? ??????????” My reply was “you’d be surprised”. In truth, I’ve never heard a flat “no".?But I've encountered long pauses or “hmm, not sure” or “let’s put a pin in that” or “I’m not sold on that”.?And I know I’ve got some education & convincing ahead of me. But with AWL - right then, in the first 10 min, I had a strong sense of who the company (and it’s leaders) were, and how I’d be dividing my time between explaining & persuading versus building & implementing ?????♀?. ? AWL just “gets it” ? They instinctively understand the fundamentals: ??treat people fairly ??communicate transparently ??imbue trust and autonomy They understand it's "the basics" of leading a team. Now the (unsurprising) bit:? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ????????? ?All Women Leadership -- AWL Strategies ? ? Is there a correlation here??You decide. ?? Shout out to the leaders and people-managers at AWL! Sara Thomas Holly Sydnor and Amanda Marotti! _________ Interested in a People & Ops Diagnostic for your company? Let's chat! Email me at [email protected] or book time via calendly.com/alyp888.

??????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????????????????? ?????????????????????? I can’t tell you how often I get this question (from folks at companies of various sizes and maturity stages)! Setting aside the ‘how we got here’ diagnostic conversation, below are ???????? practical actions (note: an assumption of an existing level of authenticity, EQ, and awareness is baked into below): ?? ???????????????????? ???????? ?????? ??????. Instead of a cookie-cutter corporatey 'commitment statement’, convey in plain, REAL, language why diversity is a priority. ????????????????????????? ??????????????.?Don’t shy away from your #'s just because they aren’t ideal (yet). Share where you are, and where you want to be. You’d be surprised the respect you’ll earn by demonstrating humility and integrity. ?? ?????????????????????? ?????????????????? ????????, ?????? & ?????????????? ??????????????????. It’s sad and weird (wink??) that this is still a thing that needs to be advocated. This is where you walk the walk with examples. Longer post coming on this, but quick tip: if you are asking for pay expectations in your application, you are undermining pay equity. ?? ?????????????????????? ?????? ??????’???? ?????????????? “?????????? ????” ???? “????????” ??????????. Whether a demographic ‘first of’ or first role, share tangible support mechanisms new hires can expect: ? Role Charter - outlining expectations, unknowns for discovery, in-flight projects, to-be developed net-new, how you’ll measure success, and advancement or title changes after X period of time ? Ramp Plan - ideally provided on or before day 1? ? Regular 1:1s & skip-level 1:1s - aimed at feedback, development and support (not tactical updates) ? A 'You Choose' Mentor Program - ideally supplemented with guidance like “Mentor Expectations”, “A Mentee’s Role”, and “How to Break Up With Your Mentor”. ?? ???????????? ?????????????? ????????????. It seems obvious, but aim to effectively fill your pipeline with more diverse talent. Rather than publicly posting, engage talent partners specifically organized for marginalized groups. Yes, many have a fee, but it's not outrageous. ?? ?????????? ?? “?????????????? ???? ????????” ????????????????.?Employ some level of hiring manager/ interviewer training so you know that everyone is acting as a (positive) ambassador and following a standard process. If you use external recruiters, validate how they represent you, or seek candidate feedback that comes directly to you. ?? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????. While representation is important, hand-picking a few headshots feels tokenizing and icky. These are just SOME practical bullet points (it's already a dreadfully long post). Reach out for help or to dig deeper!?And fellow People people, if you have more to add, please comment!

? After years of resisting, I’m embarking on ?????? ???????? of posts! ? I often get the comment “?????? ???????????? ?????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ????????”, when I share insights & experiences with founders and People people in forums, coffee chats, or in my role as a startup consultant. I’ve resisted for a long time, partially due to fear of the internet audience ??, but mainly because my passion lies in being a ‘doer’ in startups ??, not a writer. I see my peers doing it and ?? ?????????????????? ???????????? between “??????, ??’???? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ????”?and “??????, ?? ???????????? ??????’?? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ?????????????? ????????????”. ?? After years of existential crisis (and fired up by yesterday's 100 days to election zoom), I’m FINALLY jumping in and committing to a 100-day challenge to post daily here on Linkedin! ??♀? Let’s see what happens! I'll share snippets of People Team practices & philosophies that have been successful and loved by team-members (and candidates), initiatives and changes that are most daunting to founders/leaders, and projects/issues I advise on most frequently. Here goes nothing! ___________ ?????????? ????: ?? ???? ?? ???????????? ???????? (????????????, ????, ?????? ???????????????? ????????????????????) ???????????????????????? ??????’?? ???????????????? ???? ?? ????????-????-??????, ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ????????-?????????? ??????????, ???????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ???????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ????????????. ?? ?????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????? ??????????????????????, ???????? ?????????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? ???????? ????????????????, ?????? ???????????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ???? ???? ???????????????????? ??????????. ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ????:? ? Visit Capsyl Consulting or capsylconsulting.com ? Book time via calendly.com/alyp888