THE PEOPLE WORK FIELD GUIDEISSUE 001
Work gets human.
Start here.
Clear next steps for the people decisions that do not fit neatly into a policy manual.
POPULAR:
TODAY’S TRIAGE01 Choose the situation →02 Check jurisdiction →03 Write down facts →04 Act consistently
THE WORK, ORGANIZED
Find the right playbook.
HR is not one job. Start with the outcome you need, then work through the decision in order.
01↗02↗03↗04↗05↗06↗
Hire
Plan roles, classify workers, interview consistently, and make a clean offer.
Manage
Set expectations, give feedback, document decisions, and develop managers.
Pay
Build compensation ranges, run reviews, and explain pay decisions clearly.
Support
Navigate leave, accommodations, conflict, complaints, and employee needs.
Part ways
Plan fair exits, reduce surprises, and protect dignity on both sides.
Build HR
Choose systems, create policies, measure the right things, and scale the function.
DECISION TOOL 01
The salary is only the beginning.
Estimate the real first-year cost of a hire. Adjust the assumptions to fit your team.
?
What counts as burden?
Payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, paid time off, and other employer-paid costs.
ESTIMATED FIRST-YEAR COST$101,500
$8,458 per month
Salary Other employer costs
SAY THE HARD THING, CLEARLY
The conversation library.
Starting language for moments when clarity matters. Adapt the words, keep the structure.
STARTING SCRIPT
“I want to talk about [specific behavior]. When that happened, [observable impact]. Going forward, the expectation is [clear standard]. What context am I missing, and what support would help you meet that expectation?”
Make it specific. Leave room for an answer.
FIELD NOTES
Read before you react.
EXPECTATION≠ASSUMPTION
MANAGING · 7 MIN
Before you put someone on a performance plan
A five-question check for managers who think they have a performance problem.
Open the field note →A useful salary range needs more than market data.
Read note ↗The sentence that should slow down every leave conversation.
Read note ↗WHEN THE CHECKLIST IS NOT ENOUGH
Bring judgment to the table.
Get a practical HR roadmap for a difficult decision, a growing team, or a people system that has outgrown its first draft.
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