hr

name: hr description: People operations workflows — recruiting pipeline, performance reviews, compensation analysis, offer drafting, interview prep, onboarding, org planning. Use when managing hiring pipelines, writing performance reviews, analyzing compensation, drafting offers, or planning organizational changes. routing: triggers: - "HR" - "human resources" - "recruiting" - "performance review" - "compensation" - "hiring" - "onboarding" - "org planning" not_for: "code performance review (use reviewer-code). This skill covers people performance reviews and HR operations." category: business force_route: false pairs_with: - csuite - data-analysis

user-invocable: true

HR — People Operations

Umbrella skill for all people operations: recruiting, performance management, compensation, offer drafting, interview design, onboarding, org planning, people analytics, and policy lookup. Each mode loads its own references on demand.

Scope: Decisions and artifacts involving people's careers, compensation, and organizational structure. Use csuite for strategic business decisions, data-analysis for general analytics, professional-communication for non-HR business writing.

Mode Detection

Classify the request into exactly one mode. If the request spans modes, choose the primary and note the secondary.

Always load: references/llm-hr-failure-modes.md — applies to every mode.

Sensitivity Guardrails

HR content touches people's careers, livelihoods, and legal rights. These guardrails are non-negotiable.

Workflow

Mode: RECRUITING

Framework: DEFINE → PIPELINE → EVALUATE

Phase 1: DEFINE — Clarify role requirements and pipeline structure.

• Define role: title, level, team, location, hiring manager
• Establish pipeline stages: Sourced → Screen → Interview → Debrief → Offer → Accepted
• Set target metrics: time-to-fill, pipeline velocity, source mix
• Design job posting — check against references/llm-hr-failure-modes.md for biased language (because gendered/exclusionary language reduces qualified applicant pools by 10-40%)

Gate: Role defined. Pipeline stages agreed. Posting reviewed for bias.

Phase 2: PIPELINE — Track and manage candidates through stages.

• Report pipeline health: candidates per stage, days in stage, conversion rates
• Flag bottlenecks: stages with >2x average dwell time
• Track source effectiveness: which channels produce hires, not just applicants

Gate: Pipeline metrics current. Bottlenecks identified.

Phase 3: EVALUATE — Structure interviews and decisions.

• Generate interview plan: 4-6 competencies, behavioral questions per competency, scoring rubric (1-4 scale with anchors)
• Assign panel: map interviewers to competencies, ensure diverse perspectives
• Produce debrief template: structured format, evidence-based, no "gut feel" fields
• Score candidates against rubric, not against each other (because comparative scoring amplifies similarity bias)

Gate: Interview kit complete. Debrief structured. Decision evidence-based.

Onboarding sub-mode (after offer acceptance):

• Pre-start checklist: accounts, equipment, buddy assignment, welcome email
• Day 1 schedule: orientation, IT setup, team intros, expectations
• Week 1 plan: compliance training, documentation, shadowing, first task
• 30/60/90-day goals: measurable, role-specific milestones

Mode: PERFORMANCE

Framework: STRUCTURE → WRITE → CALIBRATE

Phase 1: STRUCTURE — Select review type and load template.

Gate: Review type selected. Template loaded.

Phase 2: WRITE — Generate review content with behavioral specificity.

Self-assessment:

• Key accomplishments: situation, contribution, impact (measurable)
• Goals review: status + evidence per goal
• Growth areas and challenges
• Next-period goals (specific, measurable)

Manager review:

• Overall rating with 2-3 sentence summary
• Strengths with specific behavioral examples (not personality traits)
• Development areas with actionable guidance (not vague directives)
• Goal achievement ratings with observations
• Development plan: skill → current level → target → actions
• Compensation recommendation with justification

Constraint: Describe observable behavior with specific examples ("documentation was incomplete on 3 of 5 deliverables") — because personality feedback triggers defensiveness and has no actionable path. See references/llm-hr-failure-modes.md.

Gate: Review content complete. All feedback behavior-based. Development areas actionable.

Phase 3: CALIBRATE — Prepare rating distribution and promotion cases.

• Team overview: employee, role, level, tenure, proposed rating
• Distribution check against targets: Exceeds (15-20%), Meets (60-70%), Below (~10-15%)
• Discussion points: borderline cases, role changes, first-at-level reviews
• Promotion candidates: current level, proposed level, evidence of next-level performance
• Compensation actions: promotions, equity refreshes, market adjustments, retention grants

Constraint: Present rating targets as guidelines, with flexibility for team context (because forced ranking creates perverse incentives and has been abandoned by most organizations).

Gate: Distribution documented. Promotion cases evidence-based. Compensation actions justified.

Mode: COMPENSATION

Framework: BENCHMARK → ANALYZE → RECOMMEND

Phase 1: BENCHMARK — Establish market data context.

• Identify components: base salary, equity, bonus (target + signing), benefits
• Key variables: role, level, location, company stage, industry
• Data sources: user-provided data, public salary databases, uploaded CSVs
• Never invent percentile numbers — if you don't have data, say so explicitly and offer to analyze user-provided data

Gate: Components identified. Variables specified. Data sources declared.

Phase 2: ANALYZE — Score against market and internal equity.

• Percentile bands: 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th for each component
• Band placement: where each employee falls within their band (below/at/above)
• Internal equity: same-role comparisons, compression detection, tenure-pay correlation
• Outlier detection: employees significantly above/below band midpoints
• Retention risk: below-band + high performer = flight risk

Constraint: Always state data vintage and source limitations. "Based on 2024 Levels.fyi data" not "the market rate is $X" — because stale data presented as current causes underpayment or overpayment.

Gate: Analysis complete. Sources cited. Limitations stated.

Phase 3: RECOMMEND — Deliver actionable compensation recommendations.

• Adjustment recommendations with priority ranking
• Budget impact modeling: total cost of recommended changes
• Equity refresh guidance: vesting cliffs, refresh cadence, retention timing
• Offer structuring: base/equity/bonus mix by company stage and candidate preference

Gate: Recommendations prioritized. Budget impact calculated. Sources documented.

Offer drafting sub-mode:

• Assemble package: base, equity (shares + vesting schedule + valuation method), bonus (target + signing), benefits summary
• Draft offer letter text — include disclaimer: "This draft requires legal review before sending"
• Negotiation guidance for hiring manager: flexibility ranges, non-monetary levers, walk-away points
• Flag compliance requirements by jurisdiction (at-will language, non-compete enforceability, benefits mandates)

Mode: ORG-PLANNING

Framework: ASSESS → MODEL → PLAN

Phase 1: ASSESS — Map current organizational state.

Gate: Current state mapped. Structural issues identified.

Phase 2: MODEL — Design target state and transition.

• Headcount modeling: role, level, location, cost, timeline, hiring sequence
• Org design options: functional, product, matrix, pod — with trade-offs per option
• Capacity planning: current capacity vs. planned work, gap analysis
• Sequencing: which hires unlock the most capacity or reduce the most risk

Constraint: Never recommend org changes based on individuals ("move Alice because she's difficult") — structure around roles and capabilities (because person-dependent org design creates fragility and masks management problems).

Gate: Target state modeled. Sequencing justified. Budget estimated.

Phase 3: PLAN — Convert to executable hiring roadmap.

• Phased hiring plan: Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4 with roles, cost, dependencies
• Reporting line changes with communication plan
• Risk mitigation: what happens if key hires take longer than planned
• Success metrics: time to productivity, team health scores, delivery velocity

Gate: Roadmap executable. Risks mitigated. Success metrics defined.

People analytics sub-mode:

• Headcount reports: by team, location, level, tenure — snapshot and trend
• Attrition analysis: voluntary/involuntary, regrettable/non-regrettable, by team, trend lines
• Diversity metrics: representation by level/team/function, pipeline diversity, promotion rate parity, pay equity
• Engagement indicators: survey scores, eNPS, participation rates, theme analysis
• Flight risk modeling: below-band compensation + low engagement + tenure inflection points

Mode: POLICY

Framework: FIND → EXPLAIN → CAVEAT

1. Search user-provided policy documents or handbook
2. Answer in plain language — no legalese
3. Quote specific policy language with source citation
4. Note exceptions and special cases
5. For legal/compliance questions: "Consult HR or legal directly for your specific situation"

Constraint: Answer only from user-provided policy documents. State when no source is available — do not guess (because fabricated policy guidance creates liability).

Error Handling

References