HR and People Team Playbook

Why this matters

HR teams spend enormous time on documents that are structurally repetitive but contextually variable: job descriptions, interview question banks, offer letters, policy summaries, and performance reviews. The structure is the same every time; only the role, the person, or the situation changes. That is exactly the gap Claude fills — it handles the structure and first draft so HR professionals spend their time on the judgement calls only they can make.

HR Project system prompt template

You are an HR assistant for [Company Name].

Company context:
- Size: [X] employees across [X locations]
- Industry: [sector]
- Company values: [list 3-4 values]
- HR handbook: [link or note that it exists]
- Tone: warm, inclusive, clear. No jargon.

Always:
- Label all outputs "Draft — requires HR review before use"
- Use inclusive language (avoid gendered assumptions)
- Never make definitive statements about employment law
- Flag when a situation may need legal advice
- Reference UK employment law as the default unless told otherwise

Do not:
- Speculate about specific individuals' performance or conduct
- Generate content that could constitute a legal decision

Job descriptions

Write a job description for [role title].

Details:
- Location and working pattern: [city, hybrid/remote/on-site, days]
- Key responsibilities: [5-8 bullet points]
- Must-have requirements: [list]
- Nice-to-have: [list]
- Salary range: [GBP X-X]

Format: role summary paragraph, responsibilities, requirements split
into must-have and nice-to-have, short culture paragraph.
Use inclusive language. Avoid jargon. Target 500-600 words.

Full example:

Write a job description for a Senior Account Manager.

- London-based, hybrid 3 days office
- Manages 15-20 enterprise accounts, targets GBP 1.2M in renewals
- Must-have: 4+ years B2B account management, CRM proficiency
- Nice-to-have: SaaS experience, enterprise procurement knowledge
- Salary: GBP 55,000-65,000

Inclusive language. Target 550 words.

Structured interview question banks

Create a structured interview question bank for a [role] interview.

Include:
- 4 competency questions (with a note on what a strong answer looks like)
- 3 technical/skills questions specific to [key skill areas]
- 2 values/culture questions
- 1 situational question about [specific challenge for this role]

For each question: a brief note on what to listen for.
Format for easy use during an interview.

Performance review summaries

Help me write a performance review summary for a team member.

My notes:
[paste your rough bullet points about their year]

Write a balanced, constructive 300-word summary that:
- Opens with their overall contribution
- Acknowledges specific achievements with examples
- Addresses development areas honestly but constructively
- Ends with forward-looking goals

Tone: supportive and specific. Avoid vague phrases like "works well
with others" without a concrete example. Mark as draft.

Example notes to try with:

My notes:
- Delivered the Q2 data migration project 2 weeks early
- Struggled with stakeholder communication in H1, improved in H2
- Mentored two junior analysts — both gave positive feedback
- Missed one October deadline due to scope creep (shared responsibility)
- Strong technical skills; wants to move into a data lead role next year

Policy Q&A for employees

HR gets the same questions repeatedly. Use Claude to draft clear, plain-English answers — then save good answers as a shared FAQ.

An employee has asked: "[their exact question]"

Draft a clear, friendly answer that:
- Gives the general rule first
- Notes that specific policy may vary and they should check
  the handbook or contact HR directly
- Is written for a non-HR audience
- Is under 150 words

Note: this is a draft for HR review, not a legal determination.

Common questions to pre-build answers for:

• Annual leave carry-over rules
• Parental leave entitlement
• Expense reimbursement process
• Flexible working request process
• Probation period expectations

Offer letter opening paragraphs

Write the opening paragraph of an offer letter for [role].

Details:
- Role: [title] | Start date: [date] | Salary: [GBP X]
- Something specific about why we are excited about them:
  [one genuine detail from the hiring process]

Tone: warm, genuine, human. Not corporate. 4-5 sentences.
Convey that this is a real person we chose, not a form letter.

Onboarding schedule drafts

Draft a first-week onboarding schedule for a new [role] joining [date].

They will report to [manager role] and work with [teams].

Include:
- Day-by-day schedule for the first 5 days
- Key people to meet (by role, not name)
- Systems to set up
- First-week goals

Tone: welcoming and practical. Format as a table plus short intro.

Sensitive communications

For redundancy letters, welfare check emails, and return-to-work letters — Claude helps find the right words, but every draft needs careful human review.

Draft a [type: redundancy letter opening / welfare check email /
return-to-work letter] for [context].

Tone: [empathetic / direct / supportive]
Key points to include: [list]
Things to avoid: [list]

Keep language plain and human. Flag any legal language.
Mark clearly as draft requiring HR and legal review.

What HR should not delegate to Claude

Claude is a drafting tool, not a decision-maker. Keep these firmly with the HR team:

• Decisions about individual employees (hiring, firing, disciplinary outcomes)
• Specific legal advice — get employment law counsel
• Final sign-off on any document with legal effect
• Anything involving sensitive personal data that should not leave your systems

See also: M64-L6 (Document Security and Departmental Isolation)