HR Management in IT: A Field Guide for People Professionals New to Tech
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 21 2026
Pages: 264
Weight: 0.79
Height: 0.60 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
I've built HR inside a game studio, an edtech startup, and a SaaS company - and trained more than150,000 HR professionals, many of them in tech. The same pattern repeats in company after company.
A sharp HR manager arrives from a bank, a retailer, an agency. Week one, they roll out the annual review. Weekthree, a dress-code policy. By month two, the engineers have quietly decided HR is the compliancedepartment - and nobody tells them anything anymore.
It isn't incompetence. These are good HR people running methods that worked everywhere else. The trouble isthat everywhere else didn't pay in equity, didn't plan in OKRs, and didn't have a staff engineer who out-earnsthree managers and knows it. Tech runs on different fuel, and the old playbook loses the room before you'velearned anyone's name.
What works:
- The Three Company Types - read startup vs product vs outsourcing before you change a thing
- The Engineer Motivation Map - learn what your best people actually optimize for
- The Equity Conversation - explain vesting and options without sounding like Legal
- The OKR Operating Rhythm - replace the annual review with something engineers respect
What doesn't:
- Annual reviews in a company that ships before lunch
- Leading with policy instead of credibility
- Copying a FAANG perk list you can't afford
This is the field guide for making the move into tech without starting your career over. 57 ready-to-usetemplates inside - no downloads, no email walls, just turn the page.
Laszlo Bock's Work Rules! (about $19) tells you how Google did it. A tech HR consultant charges $200+ anhour to translate that to your company. This book hands you the working system for the price of lunch.
Read it before your first all-hands - not after.
Also from
Pritula, Mike
The HR Audit Playbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Diagnosing, Fixing, and Future-Proofing Your People Function
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Knowledge Management Playbook: How HR Builds a System That Captures, Shares, and Grows Company Knowledge
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Internal Communications Operating System: Audit, Plan, and Run Two-Way Employee Communication That Drives Change
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
HR Risk Management for Working HR Teams: Spot People-Risk Before It Costs You
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
You Were Promoted to CEO. Nobody Told You How.: The Operating System for First-Time Chief Executives
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Benefits Playbook: A Complete System for Compensation & Benefits Professionals
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The CMO Operating System: A Complete Playbook for New Chief Marketing Officers
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
HR Budgeting from Zero: Recruiting, Salaries, Education, and Automation in One System
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Modern Recruiter: The Complete System for Finding, Assessing, and Hiring Top Talent
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Organizational Structure: How Companies Design, Choose, and Change Their Org Charts
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The HR Generalist's Operating System: The Complete System for Running HR Alone - From Hiring to Analytics
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Stop Optimising the Wrong Things: A Field Manual for Finding and Killing Process Waste
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The HR Strategy Playbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building, Defending, and Executing a Winning People Strategy
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Why Do Experienced HR Leaders Fail the SPHR?: Every functional area, 325 practice questions, and a 12-week schedule
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Sourcer-Recruiter Playbook: The Full-Cycle System to Find, Engage, and Close Candidates No One Else Can Reach
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Modern Employer Brand Playbook: How In-House EB Managers Build a Measurable System in the AI Era
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Total Rewards Playbook: How to Build a Compensation and Benefits System That Attracts, Retains, and Motivates
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Stop Guessing, Start Engineering: Prompt Engineering for HR - The PAIR System for Reliable AI at Work
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The 7 Roles of the Modern CHRO: Become the Business Strategist and Financial Partner Your CEO Can't Replace
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Run Your Own Strategy Session: Prepare, Facilitate, and Execute a Strategic Plan - Without Hiring Consultants
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The 9 Principles of Coaching: A Complete System for Coaching at Work and on Your Own
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Pass the ICF ACC on the First Attempt: Ethics, Boundaries and the Eight Competencies - 60 Questions in 90 Minutes
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Sourcing Automation for Recruiters: The End-to-End System to Find, Contact, and Hire Candidates on Autopilot
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Chief Sales Officer: The Complete System for Building and Leading a Sales Team
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Employee Engagement: An Operating System for HR Leaders: An Operating System for HR Leaders
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Win the Talent War: The HR System for Attracting, Growing, and Keeping Your Best People
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
AI for Compensation & Benefits: The AI Toolkit for Every Total Rewards Workflow
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Turn Conflict Into Results: Read Any Workplace Conflict, Find Its Real Source, and Resolve It on Purpose
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The B2B Sales Playbook: The Complete Framework System for Reps and SDRs - SPIN, AIDA, FAB, BANT and Beyond
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The 8-Step System to Build Any Process: Describe, Document, and Construct Workflows That Run Without You
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
The Wellbeing Operating System: How to Build Employee Wellbeing in Your Company
Pritula, Mike
Paperback
Also in
Business General
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Grenny, Joseph
Patterson, Kerry
Switzler, Al
Paperback
The Pig and I: The Tale of Our Relationship with a Beast We Eat
Endresen, Kristoffer Hattleland
Hardcover
Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul
Richtel, Matt
Hardcover
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the Alpha in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences
Winters, Mary-Frances
Paperback
Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life
Brown, Carolyn M.
Gadsden-Williams, Michelle
Paperback
The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization
Farmer, Crystal Byrd
Paperback
Paris Chic & Trendy: Designers' Studios, Hip Boutiques, Vintage Shops
Ribes-Tiphaine, Adrienne
Paperback
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking about
Robbins, Mel
Robbins, Sawyer
Hardcover
The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think about Artificial Intelligence--Before It's Too Late
Doctorow, Cory
Paperback
The Risk Worth Taking: A Story of Breaking Free and Trading for a Life You Love
Ijeoma, Teri
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees
Moss, Wes
Hardcover
1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World
Ahamed, Liaquat
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Goal: 40th Anniversary Edition: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Cox, Jeff
Goldratt, Eliyahu M.
Paperback
How to Be a Rich Old Lady: Your Guide to Easy Investing, Building Wealth, and Creating the Wild, Beautiful Life You Want
Holden, Amanda
Hardcover
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Grenny, Joseph
McMillan, Ron
Patterson, Kerry
Paperback
Money Unlocked: How to Make It, Keep It and Multiply It: The New York Times Bestseller
Lee, John
Paperback
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Kriegel, Jessica
Terry, Joe
Hardcover
The Freedom-Based Business Method: Reset, Systemize, and Realign Your Business to Live a Life of Harmony
Ellis, Natalie
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something
East, Andrew
Johnson, Shawn
Hardcover
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Hanselman, Stephen
Holiday, Ryan
Hardcover
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There
Zidar, Owen
Zwick, Eric
Hardcover
Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Johnson, Spencer
Hardcover
The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, Deepmind, and the Quest for Superintelligence
Mallaby, Sebastian
Hardcover
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
Stanley, Thomas J., PH. D.
Danko, William D., PH. D.
Paperback
Dummies Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Essential Steps to Launching and Scaling a Successful Small Business Venture
Press, Essywrites
Paperback
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
7-Figure Educator: Turn Your Experience as an Educator Into Income, Impact, and Freedom
Jordan-Thomas, Erica
Paperback
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
Sethi, Ramit
Paperback
Confidence (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss
Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions: How to Make Decisions Without Losing Your Mind
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Raz, Tahl
Voss, Chris
Hardcover
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman's Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More
Hauser, Fran
Hardcover
Conversation: How to Connect with Anyone & Make Every Interaction Count
Van Edwards, Vanessa
Hardcover
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Hábitos Atómicos: Cambios Pequeños, Resultados Extraordinarios / Atomic Habits
Clear, James
Paperback
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Pmbok(r) Guide) -- Eighth Edition and the Standard for Project Management
Project Management Institute
Paperback
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
Oster, Emily
Paperback
Mindful Listening (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Zenger, Jack
Review, Harvard Business
Hougaard, Rasmus
Paperback
A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection
Epley, Nicholas
Hardcover
The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries
Socher, Richard
Hardcover
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
Crucial Accountability: Proven Skills to Build Trust, Address Disappointment, and Get Results, Third Edition
Grenny, Joseph
Hale, Justin
Patterson, Kerry
Hardcover
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Ury, William
Patton, Bruce
Fisher, Roger
Paperback
Power and Impact (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Cable, Dan
Bregman, Peter
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Money to Burn: The Unvarnished Truth about Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street
Cohan, William D.
Hardcover
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
Happiness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
McKee, Annie
Gilbert, Daniel
Paperback
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World
Stulberg, Brad
Hardcover
Mindfulness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Goleman, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
Langer, Ellen
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Porter, Michael E.
Kim, W. Chan
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
7 Rules of Power: Surprising--But True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career
Pfeffer, Jeffrey
Paperback
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Kim, Gene
Behr, Kevin
Spafford, George
Paperback
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want
Hanna, Alex
Bender, Emily M.
Hardcover
