1. Ops isn’t about red tape — it’s about service

Eliza’s ops philosophy is simple: all operations should be "in service of" the people and the business.

"Really strong operations and operational leaders are able to make the people that they serve their lives easier."

When she joined ButcherBox, her first move was to listen and learn from the ground up - not push out top-down processes. She started with her own team, tested small changes, and built trust before expanding her scope.

"You can come in and put a lot of process in that is red tape. But the point is to solve problems, not create more."

HR tech that finally moves at your team’s speed

On a recent episode with Helen Russell (CPO at HubSpot), she described HR tech today as the Wild West - and she’s not wrong.

Teams are trying out new tools, testing AI, and figuring out what to build or buy.

But here’s the real problem - most HR platforms are stuck in 2019. Clunky UIs. Year-end memory tests. Spreadsheets running the show.

Workleap flips the script.

It’s a simple, AI-powered platform that helps performance and engagement keep moving - with pulse surveys, recognition, and reviews happening in rhythm (not just at review time).

Real-time insights, not end-of-year guesswork
Support and recognition when it matters most
Plug-and-play with Slack, Teams, and your HRIS

No building from scratch. No settling for less. Just modern HR Tech that works.

Check out Workleap and book a demo. Mention you heard about them through MPL to get 10% off.

2. Stand up a BizOps team — but make them embedded

To solve for execution gaps across the org, Eliza stood up a centralized Business Operations team. But the secret to its success? They’re embedded.

Each PM is deeply embedded in a functional team (like supply chain), so they understand the nuances and don’t act like "process police."

"They work in service of. They’re grounded in the data, they know the business, and they help leaders actually solve problems."

3. Want better performance? Fix your tech stack.  

When Eliza arrived, ButcherBox had seven different HR platforms that didn’t talk to each other. One person’s entire job was copying data between them.

Her first big win: consolidating and integrating the People tech stack.

"We moved to Workday and BetterUp. Peakon (for employee voice) feeds into Workday, and BetterUp’s coaching insights do too. We finally have real-time data we can act on."

For culture, this was transformative. No more gut checks — just clear signals and smarter coaching.

Support employees impacted by layoffs in a meaningful way

When I got laid off in November 2022, I felt everything—relief, embarrassment, sadness. One day I was thinking about quitting to make MPL work, and the next, that decision was made for me.

I had something to fall back on. Most people don’t.

The outplacement services I was offered felt generic and unhelpful. And the leaders managing the layoffs? Just as overwhelmed.

That’s why Career Sandwich stood out.
They offer real, human support for both alumni and the HR teams behind the scenes.

What they bring to the table:

• 1:1 coaching
• Group workshops
• On-demand tools
• Help with storytelling, not just resumes

If you’re an HR leader trying to make layoffs a little less painful, I highly recommend getting in touch with Career Sandwich.

Get in contact with the team at Career Sandwich​

4. Hybrid isn’t solved — but core days + smaller space is working

ButcherBox has ~70% of its team near Boston and ~30% remote. They don’t mandate in-office days, but they strongly recommend Tuesday-Wednesday as "core days."

That, plus downsizing to a smaller office, has made in-person time feel energetic and intentional again.

"When you're in the office, you don't want to be on Zoom calls all day alone. Core days give people a reason to show up."

They also fly people in for summits and team events, focusing more on connection than content.

5. AI is here — use it to expand capacity, not cut heads

ButcherBox has a cross-functional AI task force led by Eliza, two engineers, and a data scientist. Their goal? Help teams do more, not shrink headcount.

"I can’t promise your job is safe forever. But I can promise we’re going to learn and build together so you’re ready for whatever comes next."

They’ve already built internal AI agents: one pair generates copy and design for ads, another does data recall. It’s early, but adoption is growing.

"Some of these agents talk to each other, generate assets, and hand it to a human for review. It’s adding real capacity."

See you next week!

P.S. If you like MPL, help us grow the show by giving us a 5 star rating on Apple or Spotify.

​