Name: How Liquid Death Pulled off their HR System Switch
Uploaded: 2025-08-26T19:00:15.336Z
Duration: 32 min 39 s
Description: How Liquid Death Pulled off their HR System Switch

Transcript for "How Liquid Death Pulled off their HR System Switch": Hi, everyone. I'm just getting started. I'm waiting for people to trickle in. Feel free to comment where you guys are calling from. Colorado, I see. And San Diego. Cool. Personally, I'm in New York. I don't know if there's any other people here calling from New York. And, also, feel free to, like, introduce yourselves and, tell us a little bit about yourself, maybe a fun fact. We're just gonna give a little bit of time for people to come in, and thank you all so much for being here today. Super excited for this conversation. I see Jennifer is calling from Georgia, New York, Romario. Sorry if I didn't pronounce that correctly. Amazing. Is anyone here gonna tune in with a can of liquid dust? Yes. Scott mentioned that there's the recording after, and, yes, the recording will be set after this event, so don't worry about that. And, yeah, I think let's see. There seems to be quite a few few people coming already. So, I think and while we wait for people to come on, I'd love to just maybe talk a little bit about Rippling. If you don't know, we're the ones sponsoring this conversation with Liquid Death. See. Can see my screen. Yeah. So I'm also my name is Vanessa. I'm the content manager for HR here at Rippling. And while we're waiting for people to come on, we'd just love to talk a little bit about who we are. We are a unified platform where you can run every part of your business on in one place. And I think one challenge that a lot of companies face, which Liquid Death did as well, was having scattered and sprawled software. And so Rippling really solves that by putting everything together in one place. And so super excited today to have one of the most iconic beverage companies and having their VP of people and culture, Alice Young, take us behind the scenes and share more of her journey. So thank you so much, Alice, for being willing to do that. And a little bit of an agenda for today's conversation, we're gonna talk a bit about or Alice will share her journey from law to HR, how she managed to fix a broken HR stack, how she made the buy in and made the switch, and her best advice for all people leaders out here today. So stay tuned to the end of our webinar as well because we'll be doing a little giveaway and hint there's some cash involved. So don't wanna miss out on that. And without further ado, I think a lot of people are coming in so we can get started. And, also, if you are interested in Rippling, we will also give a option if you wanna book a demo, and so there's a poll on the side too. So feel free to to do that if you're interested. But I know that you guys are here for the for the talk, so I think we can just get that going. Okay. So we are officially live. Hi, Alice. Thank you so much for coming today. Hey, Vanessa. Thanks for having me. How's how's your weekend? I don't even remember. It's Tuesday. Who knows? Probably good? Yeah. Well, thank you for coming and making time to to have this conversation. Super excited for this talk. Yeah. Before we dive in, I think we gotta we gotta do an official cheers. Sure. I'm gonna open mine. I have the dead billionaire. I've never tried this flavor. That's a good one. That's a that's a favorite. I've got Sherry Obituary with me this morning. Nice. Okay. Well, cheers to this Cheers. Webinar Do the love of it. And lick the dust. Amazing. Okay. Well, let's let's get started. So, hello, everyone. Thank you so much for coming today and watching this webinar. I'm I'm Vanessa Kahkesh, and I'm the HR content lead here at Rippling. And I'm super excited to have our special guest, Alice Young, who's the VP of people and culture at Liquid Death. For those who don't know, Liquid Death is one of the fastest growing nonalcoholic beverage companies in the world. They're valued at over $1,400,000,000. And so, yeah, this is this is a really exciting conversation to kinda take us behind the scenes and sit with the mastermind of people and culture behind this company, Alice. And yeah. So we'll dive into how Liquid Death had their journey with making an HR system switch and learn more about your story, Alice. So anything else I missed, feel free to You nailed it. Okay. Cool. Well, I guess we can just dive right in. So I'd love to, like, start from the beginning. Could you walk us through how you went from being a legal assistant and being in that kind of world of law to then moving into HR and now being here today, leading culture and people at liquid death? How did you get to where you are today? Yeah. No. It's not an uncommon path to go from the the legal, space into the HR space. I I know many fellow, recovering attorneys who are, for now, HR leaders. And yeah. I mean, I when I graduated from college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I loved school. I loved learning, and I kind of happened to end up at law school. I was like, this seems like it's gonna be great. And while I loved law school, learned so much, it was such a valuable experience. As I started to transition into the, the workforce, it was not exactly what I was expecting or what I was looking for, the right fit for me. And so that's when I started thinking about other alternatives on ways I could use my law degree, and fast forward in HR, and, this is where this is where I'm meant to be. Do do you get any, like, funny looks when you say you're leading, like, people and culture at a company called Liquid Death? Sometimes. When I first started, it was, with Liquid Death. It was 2021. And so the brand didn't have as much recognition as it has today. And so, those, those interactions where people would would be like, what is Liquid Death? What are you how those are fewer and further between. Nowadays, when I tell folks that I'm working at Liquid Death, people are excited. You know? We have so many great fans of of the brand, and we're doing, our, you know, marketing and brand is is really strong and doing incredible things out there. So, so, yeah, that's it's really cool to be a part of. Yeah. I bet it's, like, I'm that's why I reached out because I was, like, such a cool brand. So curious to know, like, what it's like to be inside of the company with that, like, rebellious nature almost. Yeah. So I guess, like, when you first joined the company in HR, what was that like? I know that it probably wasn't super fleshed out, the HR department. And, like, how is it how's it evolved a little bit since you've been there? Yeah. So I joined the company when we were about 60 people. We've since grown to, 200 plus, employees across 30 states. So we've we've grown quite a bit. And in terms of what our HR tools and practices were were like when I joined, they were close to nonexistent. We were you know, the team was doing the best with what they had, but, like, I'm talking we were, you know, our our recruiter. We had one recruiter on the team who's been here since the beginning that is, like, jack of all trades, incredible, but was having to do recruiting just using Gmail. There was no, you know, no system to assist with that. We were doing a really high volume back then, and we had a a PEO that was kind of taking care of the essentials, you know, making sure folks got paid. Right? But beyond that, there was there was nothing in terms of engagement work or performance management or compensation reviews, that sort of sort of things. It was it was kind of like they were keeping the lights on, that's we like to say. When did you know you, like, had to do something, that something had to change? And and what were those next steps that you took? It was pretty immediate. Part of the the direction that I got from our our CEO, and our cofounders was, that prepare for scale. Right? And so that meant we had to make a lot of changes. I really I tried to take my time and evaluate what was working for us, what wasn't working for us. And as our strategy, short term, long term was developing, trying to think about how I can align the work that I that our team is doing that in the people's space and what the needs of the business are going to be and anticipating that a little bit. But the first major change came when our contract with our PEO was up for renewal. And the PEO was keeping the lights on, doing the essentials, but far from being a scale scalable solution for our business. Through those negotiations, we were not getting very favorable terms. There was rate increases, and when you're paying per employee per month, a significant amount, it really adds up when you're when you're growing when you're doubling in size, tripling in size. It was at that point that, you know, we had decided it was time to look at other solutions. That's when we began our evaluation of do we stay with a PEO or not? You know, HRIS do we go with and understanding the market a bit more. So that was an interesting experience. When you were doing that, like, evaluation, what were, like, the key things you were looking for in this next tool to, like, solve your pain points? Just so that also people watching this who might be in similar positions as you were would have an a better idea of how would I approach an evaluation process. I think it's really important to have a clear sense of what's a must have and what's a nice to have from the perspectives of different users of the system. And so my must haves and nice to haves were very different than what a hiring manager's needs and must haves are. Or a new employee, thinking about what all of the different types of user experiences are within the platform was something that we really prioritize. And then also just understanding there's no one size fits all solution. For us, we were more a multistate employer, and so being able to support that was critical. Having the optionality to support international workforce was really important to us. We're not a tech company. We don't have a bunch of engineers. So we wanted a a really straightforward system that was easy to administer, and also simple for employees to use. Another item that continued to be a high priority for us is just the onboarding process and ensuring that that is positive one. That's that's such a a critical part of the overall employee experience and employee life cycle. And so we've we've really made that a a top priority for our team. Yeah. I guess, like, when you were, like, making the proposal because I think, like, a lot of times, you know, HR feels or some HR leaders, like, feel siloed from the rest of the company. But I feel like when you make, like, a system switch or, like, you completely onboard your entire company onto a new platform, like, everyone is involved. It's, like, not just an HR thing. Like, how do you convince your CFO and your CEO that this is needed, especially when, like, HR doesn't always have that voice? But what were some things that convinced that for your CEO? I've I'm very fortunate that I since day one, our CEO has really trusted my recommendations and has has valued what HR can bring to the table. In terms of of influencing change, one, he knew and wanted the change. Right? He he knew what we had was not a scalable solution. Everyone had felt, you know, the pain of having these, having the the limitations on the system that we currently had in place. So folks were eager for change, which was great. And then we were the the fact that our PEO contract was up and we were renegotiating the terms, there was an opportunity for us to find, solutions that would also have a cost savings. Like, we can bring in a more efficient system and save the company money, like, let's do it. It was it was not a it's not a tough sell. And, also, we were a smaller company at that time, and system transitions like this are a lot easier when you don't have 100 hundreds and thousands of of employees. But that was one thing that I am grateful that we did early is making that that that change. It's definitely easier when you do it right away or, like, at least at the beginning. Because once you scale, it's like, how do you make that switch? And then even also before, like, January, like, starting off the new year, having everyone on the same payroll, that's also really key. That that's why, like, we were trying to emphasize too just the the timeliness of all of this because you might as well do it now versus wait later and have split payroll. Yeah. Well and then, like, it's just as important to have a plan in place for for the transition and to do a thorough evaluation, getting the implementation timeline right, can really, like, make or break the the change. So in our case, like, we did not have the fortune good fortune of being able to do a Jan one transition. So we had a midyear transition, and that created a lot of additional work for RCM and creating some confusion within the employee base, having two different w twos at the end of the year. And, you know, our tax filings for beer were were a little bit, required some some additional work on on our end. These were challenges that it wasn't a one time solve. They kind of lingered, like, every, you know, few months, Every, you know, a year had gone by, and we'd get folks reaching out like, hey. I what happened to my b twos? Or I need my employment verification. It's in two different systems. And, we've since gone back and been able to, bring over all of the historical data. But, yeah, it was it was bumpy having the having the midyear transition. Would not recommend would not do that again unless they absolutely had to. So definitely people watching should do it before the year end and have it ready for the beginning of the year. Yeah. End of year is is such a busy time in in our space. Having everything planned and lined up sooner rather than later, so it's worth it to to push for a January 1 start for sure. Could you talk a little bit more about, like, how your role in HR has evolved at Liquid Death? Like, what is your vision for what it could turn into now that you're able to, like, automate more systems? Like, what would be the ideal situation for you to kind of unlock all of your potential in HR? Yeah. No. That's a great question. You know, if I had unlimited unlimited resources, Pinchoquan, You know, the we've been able to build an incredible team of of HR folks at Liquid Death, that really have their their own specific areas of expertise, but are also broadly able to pick up different parts of of HR and and be successful. I've really prioritized ensuring everyone understands every part of HR and that we are cross trained. Everyone knows every process. We're a small team. You know, there's there's four, five of us. And, you know, we have two folks on the team who are out on maternity leave right now. It's really important that we're able to step in to each other's shoes and, and help each other out. That's been fantastic. One thing that we do not have that I would love to have for the future is a more robust learning and development strategy and program. We have folks who are experts in benefits, rewards, employer relations. We have two business partners on the team that are deeply embedded in within the teams that they really have a deep understanding of the of the business, which has also, you know, been really critical for our team's success. And the the future of our team is largely dependent on the future of the business. Right? I've always tried to to keep that in mind. My work, my team's work, we're here to ensure that the business is successful, that we have the right people in the right place at the right time, focused on the right things with the right goals. That's that's kind of always been our North Star, if we'll we'll continue to be for I love that. The foreseeable future. I I can see it coming into fruition. Like, you are building the business as you scale the people. So, yeah, I think, like, learning and development and just, like, the onboarding process is, like, really crucial. That's why Rippling is trying to free smart people to work on hard problems because we're all gonna gotta let the people actually do what they're meant to do. Yeah. Definitely. What I Sorry. I'm having, like, all of my animals join. Wait. Is that a cat? Yeah. There she is. Oh my god. She's so cute. So cute. My dog is right here too. It's a party. They're welcome to join the webinar. When you made the switch to Rippling and had to get everyone on board, could you talk a little bit about that process? How was it, like, getting everyone set up? How did your time change? Where you spend your time? With having a smaller workforce, when we made the transition, it was a lot more straightforward than if we were to have been the size we are now or or larger. That made the onboarding process a lot simpler than for employees and managers. And just the back end administration side of the of the system allowed us to have more time to do more strategic HR work. And so with Rippling and, like, the reporting functionality, we were not doing any kind of reporting on anything prior to that. So that was one thing that we've we were able to stand up, then we've been able to continue to evolve what that looks like as the business has evolved, something that is really valuable to the the leaders within the organization. To everyone watching, the next generation of, like, HR leaders, what is one piece of advice that you would tell them? I think it's really important for for folks in the HR space to stay true to yourself, and don't sacrifice who you are for a job. I've seen it too many times, and, it can be really debilitating. And we need we need good folks in the HR space. And it's it's a tough job Yeah. No matter where you are. Yeah. And so one thing that I've tried to keep in mind, and prioritize throughout my career is, I wanna be somewhere where I believe in what we're doing and that where I can, I can, you know, be a part of bringing something to the world that I believe in? And so that has that helps me get through the hard days. Mhmm. Like running the whole off-site. Yes. And, you know, that's fun. That's a fun thing. 25, this day and age, there's a lot of not fun things we have to we have to deal with. And so, you know, life is short. Have fun. You know, that's something we all we always try to keep in mind that that liquid death, that's kind of part of our DNA is not taking ourselves too seriously and having a good time and having a having a laugh because we need that so badly. No. Literally. We we do. Like, in every every department, not just HR even. I'm gonna I'm gonna be taking that advice, so thank you for sharing. Okay. Thank you so much for Of course. Chatting. I really enjoyed our conversation. I hope everyone watching this learned something and can take away the incredible journey Liquid Death has had. And from you, Alice, thanks so much for sharing your journey and your wisdom to the audience and the community. Happy to share. Thanks for having me, Vanessa. Okay. Well, cheers to murdering this interview. Yes. Murdering the interview, murdering thirst, staying hydrated. Thanks again, and I'll see everyone later. Oh, okay. Well, thank you. Let me see if I'm on screen. Okay. Yes. I am on screen. Again, hi. So thank you all so much for watching. We hope you enjoyed. And before you head off, we wanted to mention that we have a special gift that we wanna offer. So if you're ready to murder your broken HR system like liquid death, feel free to book a custom one on one demo to see how you can work with Rippling. And in in exchange for your time, we'll also offer you a $100 gift card, which you can use in to to buy a Liquid Death merch item, buy your Liquid Death, or just for any other purpose that you want. But yeah. And at Rippling, we're really focused on helping you unify your system just like how Alice was able to do this with Liquid Death. And, yeah. So if you are if you are interested, we have the poll. I think it should be live. So you can just click book demo and we'll reach out to you later. But, without further ado, thank you all again for being here today and for taking the time to hear Alice's journey, and thank you so much to Alice for being willing to share her insights with us. And if you are interested in, if you are interested in learning more about switching HR systems and attending more webinars, please stay tuned because we have another one coming up actually in two weeks with Forbes Advisor, and it will go deeper into the implementation process. And they're also a Rippling customer, But super cool story as well. So just stay tuned for emails or, on our social pages, and thank you all again. Hope you have a great rest of your day.