q2-2026-kaela-people-recruitment-okrs

Q2 OKRs — Kaela (People & Recruitment)

Owner: Kaela Gallagher
Quarter: Q2 2026
Domain: People & Recruitment
Related: Q2 2026 People Plan

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Introduction

Over the past quarter, we’ve seen meaningful growth across the team—both in headcount and in the complexity of the work we’re taking on. As we continue to scale, many of the systems that worked in an earlier, more scrappy stage are beginning to show strain: role ownership can be unclear, onboarding is inconsistent, and our employment structure and people processes are not yet fully set up to support long-term growth.

At the same time, the bar for our work is increasing. We are not only hiring more people, but hiring into more specialized, client-facing, and high-impact roles. This requires a stronger foundation across People and Recruiting to ensure that every team member is set up to perform at a high level, quickly, and within a clear and supportive structure.

The objectives for this quarter are focused on building that foundation. Specifically, they address three core gaps in our current state:

• Clarity: Ensuring every team member understands their role, ownership, and what success looks like
• Consistency: Creating repeatable systems for hiring, onboarding, and performance management
• Commitment: Investing in our team through benefits, structure, and engagement to improve retention and long-term alignment

By focusing on these areas, we are unlocking the next stage of scale for the company. This includes:

• Faster and more effective hiring and onboarding of new team members
• Improved execution speed and reduced friction across teams
• Stronger retention and engagement as we transition from short-term to long-term employment relationships
• A higher and more consistent performance bar across both individual contributors and client-facing roles

Ultimately, these objectives are designed to move us to a more intentional, scalable, and high-performing organization—while still preserving the speed and flexibility that have gotten us this far.

Objective 1: Build foundational clarity in roles, ownership, and team structure

Why it matters: Clear ownership reduces confusion, speeds up execution, and helps both current team members and new hires succeed faster.

Key Results:

• Create and publish a complete org chart covering 100% of current team members
• Develop standardized Job Descriptions for 100% of roles, both active and expected new hires (including success metrics and ownership areas)
• Partner with managers to develop 30/60/90 plans for all new hires

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Objective 2: Transition team to a scalable and compliant employment structure

Why it matters: Moving to W2 + benefits improves retention, reduces legal risk, and signals long-term investment in the team.

Key Results:

• Convert initial cohort from 1099 → W2 status
• Launch healthcare benefits program

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Objective 3: Deliver a consistent, high-quality onboarding experience

Why it matters: Strong onboarding reduces ramp time, increases retention, and creates a more confident, productive team.

Key Results:

• Pilot onboarding program with at least 2 new hires
• Collect onboarding feedback with high satisfaction score
• Pilot buddy program and collect feedback

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Objective 4: Improve team engagement, morale, and retention

Why it matters: In a small company, morale directly impacts output, collaboration, and retention—this is a force multiplier.

Key Results:

• Launch at least 2 morale/engagement programs (e.g., coaching, recognition, team member of the month, birthday/anniversary recognition)
• Develop offsite plan & cost estimate

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Objective 5: Create a lean, repeatable recruiting system

Why it matters: Recruiting means finding the best talent possible for each role, rather than advertising that we have an open position.

Key Results:

• Post 3 recruiting-related pieces of content, partnering with marketing
• Obtain 5 referred candidates from current team members—these candidates must make it to the first step of the interview process

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Last updated: 2026-03-27