Skip to Content
Lucas Group White Logo Lucas Group Blue Logo LucasGroup
Skip Main Menu
  • Find a Job
    • Find a Job
      • Search Our Jobs
      • Contract Jobs
      • Create a Military Profile
      • Career Insights
      • Submit Your Resume
    • Our Practice Areas
      • Accounting
      • Finance
      • Human Resources
      • Information Technology
      • Legal
      • Manufacturing Operations
      • Marketing
      • Sales
      • Supply Chain
  • Fill a Position
    • Fill a Position
      • Our Process
      • Direct Hire Search
      • Retained Search
      • Contract Solutions
      • Executive Insights
      • Request Services
    • Our Practice Areas
      • Accounting
      • Finance
      • Human Resources
      • Information Technology
      • Legal
      • Manufacturing Operations
      • Marketing
      • Sales
      • Supply Chain
  • Military Transition
    • Transitioning Veterans
      • Military Job Seekers
      • Attend a Hiring Conference
      • Base Visits
      • Military Job Seeker Resources
      • Success Stories
      • Create a Military Profile
    • Hire Military
      • Military Transition Recruiting
      • Military Hiring Conferences
      • Hiring Success Stories
      • Request Services
  • About Us
    • About Lucas Group
      • Our Values
      • What We Do
      • Executive Leadership
      • Meet Our Team
      • Our Locations
      • Media Room
      • Resource Center
    • Careers at Lucas Group
      • Work at Lucas Group
      • Life at Lucas Group
      • Proud to Hire Heroes
      • Apply Now
  • Contact

Home » Your Career Intel » Being a Leader at Work - Lucas Group » Coach and Train » Bringing HR out of the Back Office: A Shift to People Operations

Your Career Intel

Back to All Posts
  • All Posts
  • Land the Job
  • Grow Your Career
  • Be a Leader
  • The Big Picture

Bringing HR out of the Back Office: A Shift to People Operations

Posted by Lucas Group November 29, 2018

SHARE

It all started in Silicon Valley, as many management trends do, when in 2006 Google refashioned their Human Resources Department into People Operations. As the title has become more common, it would be easy to think this change was merely a branding exercise, accompanying the proliferation of job listings calling for ninjas, rockstars and gurus.

However, creating a People Operations group requires more than replacing the sign on the door. It requires rethinking the role that employees play in the organization and the ensuing infrastructure needed to support them.

Human Resources Is Reactive and Static

In the Human Resources model, employees are treated as static resources and the department as a cost center. In a way, HR is like managing the supply closet of people: they are hired and fired; their empty spots are refilled; they are necessary and unexciting; and they are not thought about unless something goes wrong. In this scenario, HR is reactive, carrying out the directions of managers. This approach invites the shift to automation and outsourcing. Onboarding can be done online and employees can be tracked through programs and systems.

People Operations is Proactive and Engaging

People Operations invites a shift in the opposite direction. Instead of making HR less personal, People Operations requires more involvement at every level of an organization. There is a saying that in professional service companies, your greatest asset walks out the door each night. At a service provider like Lucas Group, our employees are our product. Here, People Operations asks “how are our employees improving?” and engages them through training and development. This is a strategic approach and requires looking for any business gaps and holistic opportunities.

Creating a People Operations team requires a buy-in at all levels of an organizations. CEOs and executive leaders need to welcome their involvement early in the process of setting company direction and goals. People Operations must have the support and backing to identify and champion organizational change. Sponsorship can only be successful with a top-down and bottom-up approach with engagement from the entire organization.

A great starting place is to bring to life and communicate your company goals and your mission and vision statements. Our associates want clearer goals, more feedback from managers and better internal communication channels. Leaning in and providing new and more frequent communication to Associates serves the purpose to create a community of leaders and provide strategic direction.

The shift from Human Resources to People Operations isn’t about a name change; it is about empowering a team to add value and contribute to a company’s success as a strategic and proactive partner. At Lucas Group, this change is based in the philosophy that retaining talent means that you have to get to know and nurture your talent.

 

Share your feedback:

How is your HR division improving the employee experience?

 

Authored by: Carolina King

Sign Up For Our Newsletter.

To receive emails containing new articles and hiring market trends, and insights from our experts, sign up for our newsletter below.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Lucas Group Logo LucasGroup
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Contact Us
  • Find a Job
  • Search Our Jobs
  • Contract Jobs
  • Create a Military Profile
  • Career Insights
  • Submit Your Resume
  • Fill a Position
  • Our Process
  • Direct Hire Search
  • Retained Search
  • Contract Solutions
  • Executive Insights
  • Request Services
  • Transitioning Veterans
  • Military Job Seekers
  • Attend a Hiring Conference
  • Base Visits
  • Military Job Seeker Resources
  • Success Stories
  • Create a Military Profile
  • Hire Military
  • Military Transition Recruiting
  • Military Hiring Conferences
  • Hiring Success Stories
  • Request Services
  • About Lucas Group
  • Our Values
  • What We Do
  • Executive Leadership
  • Meet Our Team
  • Our Locations
  • Media Room
  • Resource Center
  • Careers at Lucas Group
  • Work at Lucas Group
  • Life at Lucas Group
  • Proud to Hire Heroes
  • Apply Now
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact

© 2021 Lucas Group. All rights reserved.