People First, Policy Second
“When I think of ‘People First’ my mind instantly turns to the policies and processes we use within our organizations. Many are set up for efficiency, compliance, or ease of use on the HR side, but they are unpleasant or downright awful for employees to navigate. Want to be an organization that puts people first? Think of them when you’re creating those tools and processes — if it’s making their lives harder, maybe you’re going in the wrong direction.”
Knowing your people — truly knowing them — is absolutely necessary in any business, but particularly necessary in a small business setting. This is why my first task at Spire Labs, as our resident operations & culture guy, was getting better acquainted with my team. For the first month or so of my time at Spire Labs, I was very intentional about getting to know the team, their likes, their dislikes, their relationships with one another, their communication styles, etc. I didn’t touch any of our policies, procedures, or try to build anything aside from a relationship with each and every one of them.
Within any company, having a team who feels truly known leads to having a team that is dedicated to success. If you don’t believe me, take a quick look at this article by Patrick Lencioni, especially this quote:
“When employees feel anonymous in the eyes of their managers, they simply cannot love their work, no matter how much money they make or how wonderful their jobs seem to be. But when they are known, they work harder, promote the company enthusiastically, recruit other good people to the organization, and make greater sacrifices for customers.”
In that first month at Spire Labs, I learned that Michael Brooks is not only a design genius, but can grow a mean beard and can make an even meaner cocktail. I learned that Lee Adkins can teach me everything I need to know about due diligence and HIPAA, is not a morning person, and has a wildly impressive shoe collection. I learned that Rob Scott keeps our information safe and secure, loves anything vegetarian, and is a brand new American citizen. I learned more, and could easily go on, to talk about all of my amazing teammates, but I think you get the point.
My view then, as it is now, is “people first, policy second.” Before I took very intentional steps to overhaul our existing HR resources, I wanted to know the people that would be affected by them. I wanted these things to inspire our team, not intimidate them, and for them to be a reflection of our core values and culture. Most importantly, I wanted these policies and procedures to be a reflection of our people, and not the other way around.
Since then, I have overhauled our employee handbook, interviewing and hiring procedures, onboarding process, and much more. We now have quarterly team outings, monthly happy hours, and an established rhythm of team meetings, which help us remain connected with one another. I am continuing to navigate the waters of Human Resources and laying a firm foundation upon which we can grow. In the meantime, though, I am still putting our people first, and that will never change.
How can you go about putting people first in your role? I would love to hear your ideas!
