People Operations | Meaning and Definition

What is people operations?

People Operations or say People Ops simply refers to the labor-management within an enterprise. This business operation comes under the HR umbrella which focuses on employee engagement, retention, and development. This term was initially coined by Laszlo Bock, an HR executive who describes it as having a team working “behind the scenes to fill every job, create opportunities to learn, and facilitate employees to be healthier, happier, and more productive.

Often People Ops are confused with HR’s role and responsibilities. However, both are different. People operations are way beyond the execution of HR policies as it involves crafting an exciting and energizing workplace. The primary focus of HR is to reduce liability and enforce compliance whereas People Ops concentrates on optimizing the employee talent and values with a holistic organizational approach. 

What does the People Operations Team do?

The functions of people operations are as follows:

•   Develop a great and positive image as an employer.
•   Cultivate a sustainable brand image throughout.
•   Create and design organizational structures.
•   Onboard employees and ascertain their access to needed resources.
•   Backtrack and analyze HR metrics
•   Upgrade and streamline outdated HR systems.
•   Facilitate and engage employees
•   Optimize employee talent with development and training programs.
•   Identify and reward high-performing employees.
•   Evaluate and enhance workplace conditions
•   Manage the workforce
•   Create and deliver employee benefits
•   Ascertain adherence to regulations and laws

 People Ops intends to build a positive and strong workplace culture while enhancing employee engagement and retention. Behemoths like IBM and Google have already shifted from conventional HR practices to the cutting-edge strategies of People Ops.