MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO’S DESK
I just love watching a CEO get humbled by the masses! Last week, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in a video interview with Fortune that he's not a fan of one-on-ones: "I don't believe in one-on-ones, and almost no great CEO in history has ever done them." Bold statement! He argued, "The one-on-one model is flawed. It's a recurring one-hour meeting where the employee owns the agenda," and the leader ends up playing “therapist.” He'll still take a private conversation if someone's genuinely struggling or needs to confide something, but if that's happening a lot, he calls it a “very ominous sign for your organization." Otherwise, he wants everyone in the room. He points to Jensen Huang, who runs Nvidia the same way with no standing one-on-ones with any of his 60-plus direct reports, because, as Huang puts it, they'd be "impossible." Instead, “we present a problem, and all of us attack it."
The comments certainly did not agree! "Group meetings are a great way for executives to feel efficient while wasting everyone else's time," one person wrote. "Just say you don't care about your direct reports, bro," said another. And my favorite: "If a CEO has D.R. meetings that feel inconsequential, something's wrong with the structure, not the practice."
They're right, and here's why one-on-ones matter:
Trust. Nobody brings you something personal, or a real problem, if you haven't built the relationship first. Trust is built over the course of a hundred small interactions, and if you're a founder or a senior exec, you're already intimidating enough without erasing the only space where someone might actually open up to you.
Learning opportunities. Cutting one-on-ones mean you lose the room where real coaching, feedback, and problem-solving happen. I love a transparent culture, but people need the private time and space to learn, which is very difficult in a group environment where everyone is trying to save face.
Autonomy. Only group meetings = a trial-by-committee culture where nothing moves until everyone's weighed in. When you, as a leader, give true autonomy to your team, you allow them to fully own a body of work. It’s their responsibility to solve problems that cross other departments without you. Instead, group meetings make it YOUR job to solve those problems, eliminating autonomy.
Equity. Group meetings favor whoever's loudest, most senior, or most comfortable speaking up in a room. A one-on-one gives your quieter or newer people the same shot at being heard.
Career growth. Nobody wants to say "I want your job someday," or "I don't think I'm ready for this promotion," in front of the peers they're competing with or struggling with over responsibilities and control. That conversation only happens one-on-one.
Retention. You don't find out someone's about to quit in a room of six people. You find out in a one-on-one, if you've actually built a relationship and a one-on-one culture worth showing up to.
Chesky wants efficiency. Employees want to be seen. Those aren't the same thing.
Even in the busiest times, it’s critical to make sure that every employee in your organization has the opportunity for a one-on-one. If they don’t, and you’re craving a streamlined meeting structure, then maybe it’s your reporting lines and org structure that need to change!
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ASK THE EXPERTS 🧠
Question: Regarding post-layoff compensation, how do we handle pay for employees taking on expanded workloads without just relying on annual merit cycles or vague promises?
Answer:
After a workforce reduction, throwing "wellness perks" or flexible work policies at people who are currently doing two full-time jobs feels completely out of touch. They want tangible alignment between their effort and their pay, not corporate fluff.
Waiting six months until a burnt-out manager runs to HR asking for an ad-hoc raise because a top performer is on the verge of quitting is the worst move a company can make right now.
Instead of reacting after the resentment sets in, here is how startup leaders should proactively handle post-layoff comp:
Establish the 90-Day Scope Rule. Absorbing extra tasks for a few weeks to keep things running is expected during a pivot, but after 90 days, it needs to be formally addressed. Any longer than three months completely destroys trust.
Match the Compensation Structure to the Duration.
For temporary bridges (3–6 months): Issue a defined spot bonus or a temporary role allowance. Call it what it is: direct financial recognition for holding down the fort while the team restructures.
For permanent absorption: Don't drag your feet until annual reviews. Formally update their role profile and pad their merit increase or base salary to reflect the newly expanded responsibilities.
Tighten Performance Calibration. At this point, peanut-buttering becomes a waste of budget. Dial down increases for low performers not pulling their weight so you can free up funds for those carrying the heaviest operational load.
Set Clear Guardrails for Managers. Equip managers with explicit guidelines on what they’re authorized to offer when asking teams to stretch so that they stop making vague promises for end-of-year reviews.
At the end of the day, employees just want to know that their extra effort is recognized and fairly rewarded, and being proactive with compensation is how you keep your best people from walking out the door.
Have an HR- or operations-related question? Submit it here to see it answered in an upcoming issue!
THE HR BRIEFING 🗞️
THE LATEST NEWS TO KNOW
HR headlines and stories, curated with our perspective. 🤝
The California Legislature passed the No Robo Bosses Act, restricting employers from using Automated Decision Systems (ADS) as the sole basis for disciplining or firing workers.
↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: Relying on software to hand out pink slips was always a recipe for poor culture, but now it carries a hefty legal price tag. As new technologies continue rolling out, keeping accountability and transparency in the mix, especially when people's livelihoods are on the line, is what keeps the “human” in Human Resources.
60% of Gen Z employees prefer staying individual contributors rather than stepping into middle management due to burnout, minimal pay increases, and seeing their own managers stretched thin by lean corporate restructurings, reports HR Executive.
↪️ PFunc’s Perspective: After years of watching managers grow burnt out with little payoff, it’s not a mystery why young workers want to stay out in their IC roles. But there’s still hope; your employees are ambitious and willing to put in the work if it’s worth it. Build a sustainable leadership pipeline by making being a manager rewarding through improved support, work-life balance, and aligning compensation with responsibility.
A couple of other stories we think you’d like:
Be the first to know about openings in our network by joining our Talent Network.
COMPLIANCE CHECK
Watch out for these HR compliance items going into effect (or hitting deadlines) within the next month.
Federal (eff. 9/21) – Covered federal contractors are no longer required to ask applicants or employees about their disability status or track their teams against a 7% disability utilization goal.
Connecticut (eff. 10/1) – Employers are now accountable for AI-driven employment decisions, barring AI as a discrimination defense and requiring WARN Act notices to disclose if they’re due to AI.
Connecticut (eff. 10/1) – Employers must post and give prior written notice to affected employees disclosing the types of monitoring and specific locations where electronic monitoring may occur.
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 the latest job openings in our network.
Trading Systems Engineer, Kalshi - Build and maintain the infrastructure underlying Kalshi’s trading operations, including order management and APIs.
Fund Operations Analyst, Allocate - Run the daily execution engine behind the 150+ funds on the platform, learn the operational process, and spearhead workflow automation efforts.
Senior Data Scientist - Product Analytics, Fora Travel - Raise the bar on measuring, experimenting, and shipping products; drive decisions around roadmap prioritization, feature investment, and what’s built next.
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.
THE PEOPLE PULSE
Welcome our newest HR Consultant, Bettina Vogel! With a formal background in Communication, Psychology, and Business Marketing, Bettina has a decade of NYC startup experience across Talent, People, and Office Operations. She specializes in building scalable HR processes from scratch, creating strong employee experiences, and helping teams to successfully navigate change. With her international background, she is also attuned to the complexities of building and developing global teams.
CLIENT HIGHLIGHT
From high-growth startups to established enterprises, our community of partners is growing. Check out the latest addition to our roster.
Fora Travel – Our newest client is a New York-based travel agency powering a new generation of travel entrepreneurs to build real businesses and deliver trips no algorithm alone could match. Since opening their doors in 2021, they’ve welcomed over 15,000 travel advisors onto their AI-enabled platform, who have booked more than $2.5 billion in travel across 180+ countries.
We’re thrilled to work alongside Fora Travel’s team!
WHERE TO NEXT?
Our team is always on the move, popping up at the HR events, conferences, and summits we actually love.
SEPTEMBER
PFunc Plays Hooky POOL PARTY with Goodword, sponsored by Justworks! (Brooklyn) - September 8 at 2 p.m.
We’re playing hooky again, this time with founders, business executives, and HR leaders at a rooftop pool in Williamsburg! Join for intentional connections, good vibes, and snacks and drinks.
CHRONICALLY ONLINE📱
Get to know the PFunc team a little better through our office superlatives! 🏅
@peoplefunction It's giving office superlatives 🏆 What would you want to be voted as? #workhumor #corporatelife #fyp #HR #9to5
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. 🫢)
