MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO’S DESK

Yesterday marked exactly 5 years since People Function was born. Are we the only HR consulting company founded on 4/20? Probably. Does it feel appropriate for who we are as an organization, as we break the reputation of the stuffy HR lady? Absolutely. 💨

Looking back, the evolution from Head of HR, to consultant, to CEO wasn’t a straight line. It was a series of hard-won realizations.

Here are the 5 biggest lessons I’ve learned while building this thing:

1. Listen to your burnout.
   
   In 2019, my burnout was a loud, clear signal that the place I was working was deeply wrong for me. When I started hiring at PFunc, I set out to create the antithesis of the environment I had experienced. I work at that every single day, ensuring that work never comes at the cost of our personal lives and sanity.
   

2. Stand in your strength.
   
   For years, my ex-husband (whom I divorced while building PFunc) told me on a daily basis that I was selfish. I accepted that as the truth and spent years trying to improve. But when I finally stood up to him…

   
   I became a better leader. I became more sure of what was right and what was total bullshit. That self-assuredness has been my compass; it has allowed me to fire clients, deliver hard truths to defensive founders, and hold firm on our values, even if it cost us revenue.
   

3. Hire based on admiration and mutual respect.
   
   People often warn that hiring for "culture fit" leads to a homogenous, stagnant culture. And they’re often right. But if your culture is rooted in respecting difference, it doesn’t play out that way. I hire people I genuinely admire. When you build a team based on mutual respect for each other’s unique brilliance, you get a powerhouse instead of a monolith.
   

4. Scaling takes head and heart.
   
   I never bought into the idea that growth had to mean corporate or soulless. To me, scaling is an act of responsibility. When our team members started building their families, I realized that building a resilient, profitable business is how I protect them. Using your head to build systems and your heart to maintain the mission isn't selling out; it’s how you ensure PFunc remains a stable foundation for the people who have bet their livelihoods on us.
   

5. Transition from Accidental to Intentional.
   
   I definitely accidentally started People Function. I started out just trying to survive burnout, and suddenly, there was a team and a brand. But I know now that I cannot accidentally sustain it. To scale and survive the next five years, I have to intentionally grow and foster this organization. You don’t just stumble into a legacy; you have to build the structures that allow it to outlast you.

The original feeling of PFunc still stands: the desire to do exceptional work for clients while collaborating with coworkers who I like and admire. I am so lucky that is my reality every day.

Thank you for being part of this journey, whether you've been with us since the 2019 burnout days, through the divorce, or you're just joining the party. Here’s to the next five years of doing what we love with the people we love. ♡

THE HR BRIEFING 🗞️

THE LATEST NEWS TO KNOW

The latest HR headlines and stories, curated with our perspective. 🤝

More than half of employees say a single paycheck error is enough to make them quit, survey finds.

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: Founders & Execs: Give your HR team some grace. If you find they’re “too focused” on the granular details, this is why. Think back to college Psych 101 and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs… if a person’s basic payroll needs aren’t met, how can your company meet any other needs?

IBM will pay $17M to settle DOJ allegations that its DEI practices (i.e. diverse interview slates and specialized training) constituted illegal discrimination and federal contract fraud, Forbes reported.

• ↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: This first-of-its-kind settlement signals that standard DEI tactics are now being litigated as federal contract fraud. HR leaders: Prepare for impact by ensuring every initiative is tied to a specific, legally defensible business objective rather than demographic targets.

A couple of other stories we think you’d like–

• The HR Digest: No Tax on Tips goes into effect this month, a minor win for the working class.

• Slate: Allbirds is pivoting from shoes to AI and people (🙋‍♀️) are very confused.

COMPLIANCE CHECK

Here are the HR compliances going into effect (or hitting deadlines) this month.

• New York City (effective 4/18/26): Employers cannot request or use applicants’ credit history to make hiring decisions. 

• Federal (effective 5/1/26): ERISA employers must distribute Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) to participants (they have 210 days after the plan year ends to communicate any non-material changes).

• Maine (effective 5/1/26): Make sure your payroll and notification systems are synced as paid family leave benefits go live.

Subscribe to The PFunc Pulse to stay ahead of the curve with the latest HR tips, trends, talent on the market, open jobs, and hot topics.

THE OPPORTUNITY EXCHANGE 📈

ROLES ON OUR RADAR

The PFunc job board is packed with open roles across our client companies, making it easier than ever to tap into our network.

This week, we’re highlighting mid-senior level roles in our network.

• Allocate, Investment Funds Paralegal - Manage fund formation and SEC regulatory compliance.

• Coder, Product Designer - Lead as the end-to-end Product Designer for complex, AI-driven B2B systems.

• RADAR, Senior Associate, Pilot & Special Projects Program Management - Own the operational lifecycle of RADAR’s pilot and special projects.

See a role you’re interested in? Reply to this email and we’ll try to connect you with the hiring team. Hiring for an open role yourself? Reply to have your job featured in an upcoming PFunc Pulse issue.

CLIENT CORNER

We’re excited to continue to add new clients to our roster that span across many industries and stages. Check out the latest.

• eaRISE - Founded by Twitter’s former Chief of Staff, Kelly Kovacs, this professional network is the ultimate community for EAs to ditch the silos, master the unwritten rules of tech support, and level up their careers together.

We’re thrilled to be working with eaRISE’s team!

WHERE TO NEXT?

Our team is always on the move, popping up at the HR events, conferences, and summits we actually love.

APRIL

• The Founder Matchroom (New York City) – April 30 from 6 to 8 p.m.

  • Catch Emma as she gets together with a curated group of Seed-to-Series B founders for an invite-only night of swapping hard-won lessons on scaling.

MAY

• Sequoia x People Function Dinner Party (New York City) – May 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

  • Join tech HR leaders for dinner and a candid dive into what works when building equitable leave programs.

CHRONICALLY ONLINE📱

PFunc and Sequoia had a blast networking in LA, and we have a ton of awesome pictures to prove it! (FOMO? We're back in May!)

Join 100,000+ followers across PFunc’s Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, hailed as “one of the best HR accounts online today.” 😉

STAY IN TOUCH 💌

If you’re interested in fractional HR support for your team, reply to this email or contact us to learn more about our offerings, pricing, and how we can support your growing company.

Join the Talent Network here (it’s free!). Whether you’re actively exploring new opportunities or happily employed but open to the right fit, becoming part of our network boosts your profile when roles align with your experience, skills, and career goals.💡

🗣️ Thoughts, feedback, requests? Let us know! 🗣️

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Every Tuesday, The PFunc Pulse delivers the HR news and compliance shifts you actually need to know about, without all the corporate fluff. Emma brings her unfiltered take on the trends keeping CEOs awake at night, served with the gritty, practical wisdom of a founder who’s seen it all. Real talk for better people decisions, week by week. (P.S. Do your work bestie a favor and forward this— friends don't let friends do old school HR. 🫢)