People Trends for Startups: A Monthly Newsletter
Hiring, retention, office policy and employment law, explained in plain language for founders and small People teams.
📰 The latest issue, in six numbers
165,000
jobs added in October
~25%
of companies train on social engineering (honey pots)
3.4M
workers quit in September
34%
of companies require full-time office
87.3%
New York office use on its peak day
39%
of organizations use AI in HR
November 2026
Hiring is up, people are staying put, and offices fill up midweek.
Plus the California and Illinois laws that start January 1, 2027, and one thing to do about each trend.
Read the issue → ⬇ Download a sample honey pot policy (PDF)
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
✨ What you get
Trends that matter
The labor-market and workplace numbers that actually affect a small team, with the source linked so you can check them.
Laws, explained
New employment rules in plain English, and which ones apply to a startup of your size.
What to do next
Every section ends with one practical step you can take this month. No jargon, no fluff.
👋 Who it's for
- 🚀 Founders & CEOs
- 🧑💼 People & HR Leaders
- 🔎 Recruiters & Talent Partners
- 🏢 Operations & Office Managers
If you run a startup with no HR person, or you're a one-person People team, this was written for you.
💜 Who writes this
Hi, I'm Denise
I've worked in HR for a number of years, served as a Subject Matter Expert for HRCI, and been the first People hire at two early-stage startups. Recently I've been teaching myself Python, JavaScript, and vibe coding programs and apps to automate and enhance People and Talent functions at early-stage startups.
📅 Work with me
Need help with People or Talent at your startup?
Hiring, building your first People processes, or keeping the team you have? Book a free intro call and we'll work out the right next step together.
- 🧑💼 Hiring
- 📋 People processes
- 🤝 Retention
- 🏢 Office & remote policy