The People Foundations Sprint
A complete people-management foundation for organizations that have outgrown winging it. A structured, fixed-scope engagement that turns informal workplace practices into a clear and usable people system.
Who it is for
- Nonprofits, community and social-service organizations with roughly 15–75 employees
- Organizations without an experienced internal HR leader
- Teams that have grown quickly or recently received new program funding
- Executive directors absorbing most employee issues personally
- Leadership teams with managers who need clearer tools and expectations
Problems it addresses
- Policies that are missing, outdated, borrowed or inconsistent
- Managers handling similar situations differently
- Unclear roles, reporting relationships and expectations
- Hiring and onboarding that depend on individual memory
- Performance and attendance concerns addressed too late
- Uncertainty about how to respond to accommodation requests
- Growing organizational risk as the team expands
What we build together.
Nine components that fit together as one system. Everything is drafted in plain language and handed over in editable form.
- 01
People-practices review
A focused assessment of existing policies, processes, manager practices and organizational priorities.
- 02
Essential policy framework
A practical employee handbook and core policies written for the organization's actual work.
- 03
Roles and expectations
Clearer job descriptions, reporting relationships and accountability expectations.
- 04
Hiring and selection toolkit
Consistent job-posting, screening, interview, selection and documentation tools.
- 05
Onboarding system
A repeatable process that gives new employees a clear and professional introduction to the organization.
- 06
Performance and check-ins
Simple tools for setting expectations, providing feedback, documenting concerns and supporting improvement.
- 07
Attendance, leave and accommodation
Clear processes that help managers respond consistently and respectfully.
- 08
Manager playbook
Plain-language decision guides, templates and escalation points for common employee situations.
- 09
Implementation roadmap
A prioritized 90-day plan showing what should happen, who should own it and how the new system will be introduced.
The result is not a binder of generic policies. It is a working people system designed around your organization.
What the engagement looks like.
STEP 1
Diagnose
We learn how the organization operates, review what already exists and identify the issues creating the greatest risk or friction. This includes leadership conversations and a review of current documents and practices.
STEP 2
Build
We create the policies, processes, templates and manager tools your organization actually needs — drafted for your programs, structure and language, then refined with your feedback.
STEP 3
Embed
We help leadership introduce the system, understand how to use it and establish clear next steps, including a working session with your management group.
What leadership contributes
- A single point of contact who can make decisions and gather documents
- Access to existing policies, job descriptions and templates, however incomplete
- Time for a small number of scheduled conversations with leadership and managers
- Feedback on drafts within agreed timelines
- Willingness to make decisions about how the organization wants to operate
What you will have at completion
- A coherent people-management foundation instead of scattered documents
- Clearer manager expectations and consistent decision-making
- Practical tools your team can use for hiring, onboarding, performance and accommodation
- An implementation roadmap that shows what happens over the next 90 days
- Editable versions of everything, owned by your organization
At the end of the engagement, your organization will have a coherent people-management foundation, clearer manager expectations, practical tools and an implementation roadmap.
Frequently asked questions.
Most engagements run over several weeks. The exact timeline depends on scope, how much material already exists and how quickly leadership can review drafts. We confirm the schedule before work begins.
The Sprint is a fixed professional fee, confirmed in a written proposal before any work begins — no hourly billing and no surprises. The number depends on your size, how much already exists and how much implementation support you want, which is exactly what the discovery call establishes.
The Compliance Audit answers a narrow question: are we meeting our employment obligations, and where are the gaps? Start there when a board, funder, insurer or auditor is asking. The Sprint answers a broader one: do we have a working people system managers can use day to day? Many organizations run the audit first and use its findings to scope the Sprint.
No. Plainspoken HR is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our work is developed using established HR practices and aligned with applicable workplace requirements, and is risk-informed rather than a compliance certification. Where legal risk is involved, we recommend qualified legal counsel.
No. Documents are written for your programs, structure, terminology and decision-making realities. Standard practice informs the drafting; your organization determines the content.
Yes. We are based in Newfoundland and Labrador, serve Atlantic Canada in person and work with organizations across Canada virtually.
Many organizations continue with a Ongoing HR Advisory arrangement, a Manager Systems Rollout, or accessibility and accommodation work. None of it is required, and we will tell you if you do not need it.
Let's find out what should be built first.
The discovery call is a focused introductory conversation to understand the organization, determine whether Plainspoken HR is the right partner and identify the most useful next step.
A short discovery call. No pitch. No obligation.