Opsy #38

Did you know I live in Mexico City?

I went for vacation, went again, accidentally moved here four years ago, and never looked back. It's my favorite place in the world.

Now, if you're wondering why I'm sharing this... I have a point, I promise!

Mexico City, or CDMX as it is commonly called, became a hotspot for remote workers during the pandemic and now whole teams are headed this way for company retreats.

A growing number of Opsy folks have been reaching out for advice on where to stay, where to co-work, and how to get venues to respond to their emails. (😆) And since I love helping other ops pros save time, I've rounded up all my advice.

If you're headed this way soon, I hope it helps answer some FAQs. And, if you've got your own advice to add, hit reply and let me know.

ICYMI

A new episode of the podcast dropped earlier this month!

I chatted with Vanesa Cotlar, VP of People and Culture at PolicyMe, about all things people ops and employee engagement, including:

• Why she was explicit about putting culture in her job title
• How she structures her day to be responsive for the 'people' stuff that inevitably pops up and still prioritize long-term initiatives
• Tips for building a strong culture on a remote/hybrid team
• Why (and how) the team prioritizes flexible scheduling at PolicyMe
• And how she built a robust manager training program with limited resources!

Resource Round Up

Have an opsy article, podcast, or event to share? Hit reply to let me know.

Scaling People: This new book from Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe is the practical workbook on scaling that you've been looking for. I feel like business books are usually 2x as long as they should be, but this was actionable until the very end.

Thinking in Quarters: This newsletter from fractional COO Amanda Schwartz Ramirez is my new favorite. She led ops teams at fintech and emerging companies like PayPal and Dapper Labs for nearly a decade before going solo, and she has a knack for creating clear frameworks to solve messy problems. (Be on the lookout for a podcast ep with her soon!)