People Operations (HR)
1. Overview & Mandate
Business Unit Purpose People Operations is responsible for establishing lightweight, compliant, and scalable people systems that support MorgueBoard LLC’s current reality as a small, founder-led organization primarily leveraging fractional resources and part-time contractors. This business unit ensures clarity, fairness, and compliance today while laying the groundwork for potential future growth.
Mandate Statement People Operations exists to provide just-enough structure to support contractors, fractional contributors, and a small core team responsibly, while intentionally designing people systems that can scale if and when the organization grows.
Primary Accountability Owner
- Primary: People Operations Owner (Nick Nell)
- Supporting: Executive Leadership, Operations, Finance & Accounting
2. Core Functions & Responsibilities
Core Functions
- Contractor and fractional resource onboarding/offboarding
- Role clarity and engagement expectations
- Performance feedback for fractional contributors
- Policy and compliance readiness (lightweight)
- Compensation and contractor agreement coordination
- Culture, values, and internal communication norms
Explicit Responsibilities
- Define and maintain hiring and onboarding processes
- Establish role clarity, expectations, and performance frameworks
- Coordinate compensation, benefits, and payroll inputs with Finance
- Maintain employee policies and handbook documentation
- Support manager effectiveness and feedback cycles
- Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations
Explicit Non-Responsibilities
- Day-to-day people management for individual teams
- Financial budgeting beyond compensation inputs
- Legal interpretation beyond employment policy guidance
- Technical enablement or tooling unrelated to HR
3. Fractional & Embedded Capability Partners
This section documents ongoing fractional or embedded partners that support People Operations execution. These partners provide executional capability for defined scopes while accountability remains internal.
| Partner | Capability Provided | Engagement Type | Accountability Boundary | Primary Engagement Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | — | — | — | — | To be populated if/when HR, recruiting, or benefits partners are engaged |
4. Decision Rights & Authority Boundaries
Important Context The decision rights outlined in this section are intentionally high-level and directional. Formal, binding authority and escalation mechanisms are defined in the company’s Decision Rights & Governance Policy. In the event of conflict, the formal policy prevails.
People Operations Owns Decisions Regarding:
- Hiring processes and onboarding standards
- Performance management frameworks
- Internal people policies and documentation
- Employee lifecycle process design
Does Not Own:
- Individual hiring decisions (Hiring Managers / Executive Leadership)
- Compensation strategy or budget approval (Executive Leadership / Finance)
- Legal risk acceptance or dispute resolution (Legal)
- Team-specific management practices (Functional Leaders)
Escalation Triggers:
- Employment-related compliance risks
- Performance issues with systemic impact
- Policy violations or conduct concerns
5. Key Interfaces & Dependencies
| Interface | Nature of Interaction |
|---|---|
| Executive Leadership | Workforce planning, performance alignment |
| Operations | Onboarding workflows, tooling |
| Finance & Accounting | Payroll, compensation, benefits coordination |
| Legal & Contract Management | Employment agreements, compliance |
| Functional Leaders | Role definitions, performance feedback |
6. Budget Ownership & Cost Structure
People Operations Budget Scope
- Recruiting and hiring costs
- Benefits administration and related services
- HR tooling and systems
- Training and development resources
Budget Ownership Model
- People Operations manages spend within an approved budget
- Executive Leadership and Finance approve annual budgets and material changes
- Spend should be justified by retention, compliance, or performance impact
7. General KPIs & Performance Metrics
People Operations KPIs are intentionally lightweight and focused on clarity, compliance, and sustainability for a very small, contractor-heavy organization.
Engagement & Continuity
- Contractor retention and continuity
- Clarity of roles and expectations (qualitative)
- Ramp time for new fractional contributors
Operational Reliability
- Timeliness of onboarding/offboarding
- Accuracy of compensation and contractor payments
Compliance Readiness
- Policy coverage appropriate to scale
- Employment or contractor compliance issues
8. Initiatives & Goals Tracking
| Initiative / Goal | Description | Owner | Success Criteria | KPI(s) | Target Date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formalize Contractor & Fractional Engagement Model | Define standard onboarding, expectations, and offboarding processes for contractors and fractional contributors. | People Ops | Consistent contributor experience and clarity | Ramp time, engagement continuity | Q2 2026 | Planned | Reflects current operating model |
| Establish Lightweight Performance Feedback | Implement simple feedback and check-in mechanisms appropriate for fractional contributors. | People Ops | Regular feedback without overhead | Feedback cadence adherence | Q3 2026 | Planned | Not a full performance review system |
| Maintain Compliance-Ready People Policies | Create and maintain minimal people policies suitable for contractors and small teams, expandable later. | People Ops | Policies exist and are accessible | Policy coverage | Q3 2026 | Planned | Designed to scale if needed |
9. Maturity Roadmap
Current State Very small, founder-led organization relying primarily on contractors and fractional contributors, with informal people practices.
Next State Lightweight, well-documented people systems that support contractor-heavy operations while remaining compliant and low-friction.
Future State Fully developed People Operations function capable of supporting rapid team growth, formal employment structures, and scaled performance management if required.
10. Document Revision History
| Version | Date | Description of Change | Author | Approved By | Approval Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-01-04 | Document Creation | Nic Bavetta |