Message from our CEO’s Desk - Remote Work

I sit here typing this newsletter and leading my team from Delhi, India. Here at People Function, we are big fans of remote work and intentional in-person collaboration time. For the month of January, I’ll be working from India, 10.5 hours ahead of NYC. This isn’t an executive perk - it’s something the rest of the team can do as well. My colleague Phelan spent over a month working from Italy last summer, and my colleague Jalia joined a digital nomad group and worked from Placencia, Belize last month.

Benefits of remote work and a few lessons that Jalia and I have learned:

• Fresh Routines Spark Creativity. Changing your environment and routine can be a powerful way to boost energy and ignite fresh perspectives. Remote work lets you explore new places without missing a beat at work, infusing your days with reinvigorated creativity and inspiration.

• Building Trust Through Time Away. When leaders step away, they signal trust in their teams to keep the momentum going. This creates a virtuous cycle: mutual trust fosters a resilient and collaborative team culture where work continues to thrive seamlessly.

• Autonomy Fuels Motivation. Exercising autonomy over where and how you work is deeply empowering. Trusting yourself—and being trusted by others—to manage your schedule and environment is a transformative experience that drives engagement and motivation.

• Clear Communication is Key. Remote work thrives on clarity. Defining your availability—when you’re online, working, reachable for emergencies, or unplugged—is essential for smooth collaboration and maintaining strong team connections.

• Community Enriches the Experience. Remote work becomes truly fulfilling when you embrace the connections you make along the way. New environments bring vibrant new communities that add depth and meaning to the experience. (Special shoutout to Jesal, Ankita, Anshuman, Michelle, Lena, and many more for making it so enriching!)

Note to Founders and Leaders - Embracing remote work for your team can feel daunting, but the rewards are transformative. Providing this flexibility enhances team engagement, fosters a deep sense of gratitude, and unlocks creativity fueled by the invaluable perspectives gained through new experiences.

In the words of Jalia - “let work be your companion, not your obstacle.” Hit me up if you’d like to talk about remote work policies! 

Namaste,

Emma

AMA from our Compensation Desk

Question: “How can I ensure my company runs a best-in-class compensation cycle in 2025, even with limited resources or an unclear budget?”

Answer: Running a best-in-class compensation cycle requires thoughtful preparation, clear communication, and a strategic approach to maximize impact. Here are five steps to get it right:

1. Streamline Processes and Tools: Simplify workflows with effective compensation tools and provide training for all participants. Equip managers with the skills to deliver compensation outcomes confidently.

2. Secure Leadership Buy-In: Engage executives and finance early to align on budgets and compensation goals. Use scenario modeling to address questions about performance distribution.

3. Complete Compensation Range Reviews Early: Separate your market data review from the year-end process. Finalize ranges in Q3 or Q4 to guide compensation decisions without the rush. While market data shapes range, individual increases should align with performance and internal pay structures.

4. Tailor Communications to Your Audience: Comp cycles touch everyone—executives, managers, and employees. Ensure communications are clear, aligned with your compensation philosophy, and tailored to each group.

5. Craft Meaningful Compensation Letters: Letters are a chance to inspire employees. Reflect on your company culture, show gratitude for contributions, and share optimism for the future. 

By focusing on preparation, communication, and alignment, you can run a comp cycle that reinforces trust and equity, highlights your company culture, and motivates employees to excel. If you need help with your company’s compensation cycle, contact us or reply to this email to learn how People Function can help!

If you have HR-related questions that you’d like to see featured in our “Ask the Experts” section, please submit them here. You may see your question in our next edition! 

ICYMI Compliance Tips

Below are the latest HR regulatory and compliance updates published within the last month:

• Federal (eff. 1/1/25) - The IRS has issued new annual benefits maximums for Health Flexible Spending Account (HFSA), Adoption Assistance Programs, Qualified Commuter Plans, and more. 

• California (eff. 1/1/25) - job descriptions, applications, and other pre-employment resources cannot require that an applicant must have a driver’s license unless they meet certain provisions. SB-1100 outlines the details. 

• New York (eff. 7/31/25) - COVID-19 Sick Leave Law will expire, releasing requirements for employers to provide at least 5 or 14 calendar days of sick leave for isolation or quarantine related to COVID-19. 

PFunc Recommended Resources

Check out a few of our favorite resources and partners, vetted and recommended by us!

• Leapsome is the AI-powered people platform for HR excellence and high-performing teams. It automates, connects, and simplifies all HR processes across the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding and performance management to employee engagement and development. 

  • Subscribers of The PFunc Pulse are eligible for preferred pricing on the Leapsome platform. To redeem, email [email protected] and mention us!

• Polarising is an expert IT Services team that creates seamless technology connections and custom software solutions based in Portugal, with clients across Europe and the US. They specialize in building high-performing remote engineering teams and crafting integration and end-to-end development services that help businesses simplify operations and scale efficiently! Reach out to [email protected] and mention us for more information.

On the PFunc Market

Talent Spotlight

Below are a few fantastic, vetted folks who are actively on the market looking for new roles and consulting opportunities. Please reach out directly to the candidates or reply to this email if you’d like to learn more!

• Steven Huang, Head of People. Steven has spent 13 years in the HR space, beginning in HR analytics at Facebook, where he founded the HR analytics team. Since then, he’s led everything from HRIS implementations and performance management cycles to serving as a Head of DEI and Recruiting. He is open to full-time and temp-to-perm Head of People and HRBP roles.

• Ronan Conroy, VP of Client Experience. Ronan has built high-performing teams skilled in resolving complex technical issues, streamlining operations, and aligning with revenue, engineering, and product teams. He’s open to full-time leadership roles in Client Experience, Client Services, and Client Support.

If you’re on the market for a new role in HR/People Operations, Business Operations, or Leadership & Executive and Executive support roles, and you’d like to be featured in our “Talent Spotlight” section, please submit your information here.

Open Roles with our Clients

• Berkeley Partnership: Managing Consultant - this role is an exciting opportunity for management consultants who thrive in a collaborative environment and are driven to deliver great results. The work will combine effective leadership, strategy, and delivery expertise.

• G-III: Senior Benefits Specialist - this role will serve as the primary point of contact for employees, delivering outstanding employee engagement in all matters related to benefits, health and wellness, enrollments, retirement, and voluntary benefits programs.

• Rho: Director, People - this role is ideal for HR leaders passionate about aligning people strategies with business goals. Responsibilities include developing HR policies, overseeing total rewards, ensuring compliance, and driving learning and development initiatives. 

If you have an open role at your company that you’d like to highlight in our next newsletter, please reply to this email!

PFunc News

Team Member Spotlight

• Alyssa Melanson is a seasoned Human Resources leader with 15 years of experience driving impactful people strategies and aligning HR initiatives with business goals to enable organizational and employee success. Her career includes pivotal HR leadership roles at innovative companies like Bowery Farming, where she scaled the HR function and implemented comprehensive people programs. Now at People Function, she is lending her expertise to our client Oath!

Client Corner

We’re excited to continue to add new clients to our roster that span across many industries and stages:

• INK-MGMT - INK-MGMT is the first Black-founded creative talent management agency dedicated to sourcing and empowering Black creatives. They specialize in staffing, creative collaborations, and culture consulting to help clients recruit top talent, form innovative teams, and build environments where authenticity and diversity thrive.

• Notion - Notion is an all-in-one workspace that helps you organize your life and work, combining notes, tasks, wikis, and databases in one beautifully simple tool. Whether you're brainstorming ideas or managing a team project, Notion makes it easy (and fun!) to stay productive and creative.

We’re thrilled to be working with their teams! 

Stay in Touch!

Are you interested in fractional HR support for your team? Reply to this email or click contact us to learn more about our offerings, pricing, and how we can support your growing company.

Do you have feedback about our content or things you’d like to see us feature in future editions? Submit your thoughts here!

Click here to subscribe and join 500+ startup and people leaders in our newsletter community!