PeopleDesk People operations setup People Ops Setup · USD 149
Twenty eight people, and four of them have never had a conversation about how they are doing
Onboarding flow, review cadence and a lifecycle checklist, built against who is actually on the team.
The processes now exist: a seven step onboarding flow, a twice yearly review cadence, a policy map and a lifecycle checklist. Running your current 28 people through them is what produced section 01, and one of those findings needs a lawyer rather than a process.
Four employees have been here over a year with no recorded review of any kind, all four in the same team. Two people have no signed contract on file. The second of those is a matter for your employment adviser, not for an operations plan.
Gaps
What running the checklist found
| # | Finding | Who | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | No signed contract on file | 2 people, both joined before 2024 | Employment adviser, this week |
| G2 | No review of any kind in 12 months or more | 4 people, all in Operations | Book by 31 October |
| G3 | Onboarding buddy assigned for 3 of 9 starters | Six starters this year | Into the new flow |
| G4 | No record of right to work checks for 5 people | 5, mixed tenure | Employment adviser |
| G5 | Probation end dates passed with no decision recorded | 3 people | Confirm in writing |
| G6 | Leave balances held in three places | Whole team | Consolidate, low priority |
| G7 | No offboarding checklist | Four leavers this year | Now in the lifecycle pack |
G2 is not a coincidence. All four people who have never had a review report to the same manager, who joined as an individual contributor and was promoted without anyone telling them that reviews were part of the job.
Onboarding
Seven steps, with an owner each
Your last nine starters each had a different experience, ranging from a full first week to a laptop and a channel invite. Seven steps, each with a named owner and a day.
- Offer accepted
Paperwork pack out
Contract, right to work request, personal details, policy acknowledgements. Owner: office manager. The two gaps in section 01 exist because this step had no owner.
- One week before
Equipment and accounts requested
Owner: the hiring manager, not the new starter's future self.
- Day minus 2
Welcome message with a first day plan
Where, when, who to ask for, what the first day looks like. Owner: hiring manager.
- Day 1
Buddy introduced, not just assigned
Someone outside their team, for six weeks. Three of nine starters got one and all three are still here.
- Day 5
First check in, fifteen minutes
Owner: manager. One question that matters: what has been confusing?
- Day 30
Expectations conversation, written down
What good looks like in this role by month three. This is the step that prevents the probation problem in G5.
- Day 90
Probation decision, recorded
Confirmed, extended or not passed, in writing, on the file. Currently three people passed this date with nothing recorded.
Reviews
A cadence that fits 28 people
| When | Who runs it | Output | Effort | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly 1:1 | Every week | Manager | Notes, not a form | 20 min |
| Quarterly check in | Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec | Manager | Three written lines | 30 min |
| Half year review | May and Nov | Manager, prepared pack | Written, on file | 60 min |
| Pay review | Once, in June | Founders | Decision recorded | Annual |
| Manager calibration | Before each half year | All managers together | Consistency check | 90 min |
The calibration session is the one people skip and it is the one that stops four people in Operations being invisible. Every manager in one room, each naming who on their team is thriving and who is struggling, before any review is written.
Next
The first ninety days
- This week
G1 and G4 to your employment adviser
Contracts and right to work records. Nothing else in this plan matters as much.
- By 31 October
Four informal check ins
Thirty minutes each. Done by the manager, with you aware of all four.
- By 31 October
Three probation decisions recorded
All three should be confirmations. Write them down and send them.
- November
First half year cycle using the new pack
Twenty eight people, five managers, one calibration session first.
- December
Consolidate leave into one place
Low urgency, high annoyance. A January start with clean balances is worth doing.
- January
Review the onboarding flow against the next three starters
A process that has not survived three real starters is still a draft.
- Employment adviser engaged on G1 and G4
- Onboarding flow owned by a named person, not a document
- Four check ins booked
- Three probation decisions written and sent
- Manager calibration booked before November
- Offboarding checklist in place before the next leaver