HR operations
The handbook, the policies, and the California obligations that were never formally given to anyone.
The part that was never anyone’s job
HR operations is the machinery of employment: the handbook, written policies, required training, and the obligations that come with having employees. In California that list is longer and changes more often than in most states.
- A plain list of what is missing, ranked by exposure
- A handbook that matches what you actually do
- Training people are actually present for
You are probably looking at this because
Not every organization needs this work, and the ones that do usually recognize themselves in one of these before they can name what is wrong.
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The handbook is older than half the staff
It was written for a smaller company, in a different regulatory year, possibly from a template somebody found online.
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Compliance was never assigned to anyone
It sits somewhere between the office manager, the controller, and the owner. Which means it sits nowhere.
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You have crossed a headcount threshold
California obligations change as an employer grows. Most organizations pass one of those lines without anyone noticing at the time.
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Something was asked for and nobody could produce it
A request for a policy, a personnel file, or a training record, and the honest answer was that nobody was sure where it lived.
What our HR operations covers
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California labor law compliance
A plain review of where you stand against current requirements, what has to change now, and what can reasonably wait until next quarter.
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Risk management
Where the exposure actually sits, ranked so you spend effort on what matters rather than on what is easiest to fix.
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Training
Harassment prevention and manager training, delivered so people are present for it rather than clicking through a video with the sound off.
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Policy guidance
The handbook and the written policies underneath it, built for your organization rather than pulled from a template and renamed.
What working on HR operations looks like
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01
We audit what exists
Handbook, policies, training records, personnel files, and the everyday practices that differ from what is written down.
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02
You get a plain list
What is missing, what is out of date, and what is fine. Ranked by exposure rather than by how easy it is to fix.
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03
We build what is missing
Handbook, policies, and training, written for your organization rather than pulled from a template and renamed.
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04
We train the people who run it
A policy nobody knows about is not a policy. Managers get walked through what changed and what it means on Monday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about our HR operations approach? Here’s a list of common questions we get asked.
Do you give legal advice?
No. We are HR practitioners rather than attorneys. We build policy and practice, and we tell you plainly when a question needs employment counsel.
We used a template handbook. Is that a problem?
It depends on how closely it matches what you actually do. The most common issue is not a missing clause, it is a handbook that describes a company other than yours.
How often should a California handbook be updated?
Plan on reviewing it every year. California passes employment legislation annually and a handbook drifts out of date quietly rather than obviously.
Do you deliver harassment prevention training yourselves?
Yes, live, for supervisors and for staff. California requires it on a set cycle, and it works considerably better in a room than on a screen.
Can you set up personnel files and recordkeeping?
Yes, including what belongs in a file, what has to be kept separate from it, and how long to retain each of them.
What if the audit turns up something serious?
We tell you immediately, tell you what we would do first, and tell you if it should go to counsel before you do anything else.
Not seeing an answer to your question? Our expanded FAQs page covers how we work more broadly, or start a conversation and we would be happy to answer it directly.
Our other services
Most situations touch more than one of these, and you do not have to work out which before you write.
Whatever it is, it is probably not the first time we have seen it.
Tell us what is going on and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.