A business’s greatest asset is its people, so it’s no wonder that people-related terms like Human Resources and People Operations have become central to company strategies. But what exactly is the difference between these two approaches, and which one is best for your organisation?

Where Did “People Operations” Come From?

The term isn’t just a rebrand of HR, it has a specific origin. From 2006 to 2016, Laszlo Bock led Google’s People Operations function as Senior Vice President, growing the team as the company scaled from around 6,000 to 75,000 employees. Bock deliberately applied operations management thinking, data, process design, continuous improvement, to how Google managed its workforce, rather than treating the function purely as administration. He later documented this approach in his bestselling book Work Rules!

The name has since spread, though not everyone uses it. Google and Slack both run active “People Operations” teams today. Starbucks, by contrast, calls its function “Partner Resources,” reflecting its own “partner” language for employees, a reminder that there’s no single fixed template, just a shared move away from “Human Resources” as a label toward something more people-centred.

People operations, often called “People Ops,” is a strategic approach to managing employees that focuses on enhancing the overall employee experience and creating a positive, productive work environment. The goal is to align workforce management with the company’s broader mission, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous development, and employee well-being.

People operations doesn’t skip the administrative work, payroll, contracts, and compliance still have to happen either way, but it frames that work as a foundation for a bigger goal: making sure employees feel resourced, supported, and engaged throughout their time at the company.

Roles you might see: People Operations Manager, People Partner, People Analytics Lead, Employee Experience Specialist.

What is Human Resources?

Human Resources (HR) is the traditional, well-established function for handling employee-related tasks, focusing on the administrative, legal, and operational aspects of the workforce. This includes recruitment, payroll processing, performance management, employment law compliance, and resolving employee grievances.

HR remains the backbone of workforce management in most organisations, and it’s a legal and operational necessity, not an outdated approach. Many organisations that call themselves “People Ops” still perform fundamentally the same core HR functions, just with a different philosophy layered on top.

Roles you might see: HR Administrator, HR Advisor, HR Manager, HR Business Partner.

Key Differences

Reactive vs. proactive: HR has traditionally addressed issues, a resignation, a grievance, a compliance query, as they arise. People Operations aims to anticipate them: planning workforce needs ahead of time and building development pathways before problems emerge.

Execution vs. strategy: HR often focuses on task execution, recruiting, payroll, performance reviews. People Operations tends to start from the company’s big-picture goals and work backward to what will motivate and develop employees to reach them.

Which Approach is Right for Your Organisation?

Traditional HR may suit you if you operate in a heavily regulated industry, your organisation is large and established, or you need clear accountability and audit trails for people decisions.

People Operations may suit you if you’re a fast-growing startup still building your processes, you want decisions backed more heavily by data, or leadership wants the people function embedded in business strategy rather than siloed from it.

The choice doesn’t have to be either/or. Many organisations use HR to manage essential administrative and legal tasks while adopting People Ops thinking to shape culture and employee experience.

Job titles vary a lot between organisations, which makes direct comparison tricky, but as a reference point, Reed’s HR Salary Guide 2026 puts the closest comparable role, Operations Manager, at an average of £59,300–£69,500 in London. Many People Operations roles are priced similarly to HR Manager or HR Business Partner roles at the same seniority level, since the underlying skill set overlaps significantly. Title alone isn’t a reliable guide to seniority or pay.

Is People Operations just a rebrand of HR?
Not entirely. The underlying legal and administrative work still needs to happen either way, but People Operations represents a distinct philosophy, borrowed from operations management, that originated at Google under Laszlo Bock.

Which companies use “People Operations” instead of HR?
Google and Slack both run People Operations teams. Others take different approaches, Starbucks uses “Partner Resources,” for example, showing there’s no single standard naming convention.

Do People Operations roles pay more than HR roles?
Not necessarily. Pay depends far more on seniority, company size, and industry than on the job title.

Which is better for my career, HR or People Operations?
Neither is objectively better, they draw on the same broader skill set with a different emphasis. Many professionals move fluidly between HR- and People Ops-titled roles.

Do I need a different qualification to work in People Operations?
No. CIPD qualifications are the standard route into both HR and People Operations roles in the UK, since the core skills, employment law, employee relations, workforce planning, apply either way.

At Avado, we offer courses covering the foundations needed for both People Operations and Human Resources roles.

CIPD Level 3 HR Courses: The CIPD Level 3 Certificate in People Practice is ideal for anyone looking to start a career in either HR or Learning and Development.
CIPD Level 5 HR Courses: The CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management will help you build on your existing HR knowledge.
CIPD Level 5 L&D Courses: The CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development is the most comprehensive course available for L&D professionals, ideal for you if you want to formalise your existing experience, skills and knowledge.
CIPD Level 7 HR Courses: The CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma is aimed at expanding learners’ autonomy so they can strategically direct organisations and their people.