UNREAL’s 3-Phase Blueprint for a Transformative Employee Experience

When Growth Outpaces Your Systems

UNREAL Snack’s homegrown HR tools were functional, but fragile — stitched together across systems that weren’t built to scale. As headcount grew 120% over two years, processes started to break. Basic questions took too long to answer. Data was scattered. Performance reviews lived in one tool, engagement surveys in another. Strategic action was nearly impossible.

Backed by the company’s board, the people team began building systems they could scale with. “We needed systems that would set us up to scale — but do it in a way that made change stick,” said VP of People and Business Operations Dominique Bauersfeld.

They started with a focused, high-impact group: managers. By equipping them with the structure and tools they needed (like 1:1s), the team created early momentum that set the stage for rolling out additional Lattice features. Together, they transformed how UNREAL communicated, aligned, and grew — and ultimately made Lattice their HR system of record.

This wasn’t just a system switch, it was a shift in how the business operates and grows through its people.

Kevin McCarthy, CEO

Phase 1: Start with Manager Effectiveness

UNREAL’s transformation started with a simple but crucial question: How are our managers supporting their teams?

The People team quickly realized that managers had never been given a clear playbook—or the tools—to manage effectively. Foundational habits like running regular, impactful 1:1s weren’t being modeled or reinforced.

There was no consistency:

• Some managers tracked 1:1s in spreadsheets
• Others relied on text threads (we’re serious!) 
• Many weren’t holding them at all

Employees had different experiences depending on their team. Managers lacked clarity. HR had no visibility.

Before layering on new processes, the focus shifted to building better habits. That started with Lattice 1:1s: shared agendas, recurring check-ins, and a clear cadence between managers and direct reports.

“It was the Wild West,” said Dominique. “There was no parity across teams and no way to know who was getting supported and who wasn’t. We implemented the 1:1 tool - it was a game changer overnight.”

More than 3 in 4 employees now actively use 1:1s with their manager each month.

"The Lattice 1:1 tool has improved day-to-day planning, prioritizing, and task management with my team members," said a people manager at Unreal Snacks. "The action items list, the ability to add notes, and the option to move items to the next meeting has kept us on track and accountable to each other."

As managers began changing their behavior, HR layered in Feedback and Praise to strengthen communication. Managers and peers could now give recognition or constructive input in the moment. Praise became a culture signal and feedback helped normalize real-time coaching.

Performance reviews were the final piece of this phase, bringing it all together, into a cohesive, repeatable process. Documentation from 1:1s, recent feedback, and shared goals flowed directly into the review process. 

Instead of chasing input in spreadsheets, reviews were tracked, calibrated, and built into the platform managers and individual contributors were already using.

The people team could now report on performance trends, top talent, and manager participation — all while employees received structured input on their growth.

Phase 2: Turn Engagement into Action

With new habits in place, HR turned its attention to employee sentiment. They’d been using Typeform to run surveys, but it lacked analytics to make informed decisions. “We were collecting feedback, but we couldn’t make sense of it — and we definitely couldn’t act on it,” said Sofie Gentner, Director of People.

Lattice Engagement changed that. With real-time dashboards and AI-powered insights, the people team could quickly see where employees needed more clarity and support. 

One standout finding: Employees believed in UNREAL’s mission, but weren’t clear on how their work connected to it.

At an executive offsite, the team aligned on the next step: implementing a goal-setting system to drive alignment from the top down. With Lattice Goals, leaders set high-level objectives and worked with managers to cascade them into department and individual goals. 

Those goals became part of 1:1s, reviews, and ongoing workflows — giving everyone visibility into what mattered most. “Lattice helped us scale our vision in a way that everyone could actually see and connect to,” said Dominique.

The impact showed up quickly:

• 6-point increase in alignment scores
• 8-point eNPS boost within the first year

Together, they gave HR a repeatable cycle for improving the employee experience — with the tools and visibility to do it.

Phase 3: Automate and Centralize

With strategy and programs in sync, Sofie and Dominique turned to operations. Onboarding still lived across spreadsheets, Slack messages, and to-do lists. “I was spending hours every week chasing down onboarding steps and making sure nothing slipped through the cracks,” said Sofie.

With Lattice HRIS, the team automated onboarding workflows and centralized employee data. Prebuilt templates and task assignments ensured a consistent experience across teams — with fewer handoffs, better tracking, and clear ownership.

“What made Lattice amazing for us when we were 35 people is still what’s working at 65 — and I know it’ll work at 100, 200, even 500,” said Dominique.

Powered by the Lattice and Greenhouse integration, the people team seamlessly transitioned candidates into new hires. Tasks were auto-generated the moment an offer was accepted, giving HR a head start and eliminating manual setup. And because onboarding lived in the same platform as 1:1s, Goals, and Reviews, employees started using Lattice on day one, becoming a part of how they worked, learned, and grew from the very beginning.

The results?

• 25% of onboarding tasks now automated
• 1+ hour saved per new hire

And their new hires didn't just notice the shift, they raved about it.

• "My first 30 days have been great! I have onboarded at several brands over the last 5 years and the UNREAL process far exceeds all prior experiences.”
• "The onboarding process was extremely organized and efficient. I was provided excellent resources and was given clear and concise direction on expectations, goals, timelines, etc."
• "Truly a best in class onboarding experience. Such thoughtful detail proactively provided and throughout every step of the process!”

With HRIS powering process and clean data flowing across systems, UNREAL made Lattice their HR platform — the operational foundation supporting every stage of the employee experience.

“Everything lives in one place. That saves time and builds trust in the data,” said Dominique.

Looking Ahead

UNREAL now runs its people programs — from onboarding to performance to promotions — in one connected platform.

Each product builds on the last:

• 1:1s and Feedback feed into Reviews
• Engagement highlights what’s working and where teams need support
• Goals provide direction, alignment, and accountability
• HRIS automates the workflows and ties everything together

The team is now exploring Lattice AI Agent to surface retention risks, power personalized growth plans, and guide managers in real time.

“This wasn’t just about making HR more efficient,” said Kevin. “It’s about making our company stronger by investing in our people — at scale.”

By starting small and building intentionally, UNREAL created a system that helps employees grow, managers lead, and HR stay one step ahead.

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Disclaimer: Every company’s adoption path is different. For UNREAL, starting with Talent tools made the most sense — it delivered early impact, unlocked resources, and paved the way for adopting Lattice as a platform. The right starting point depends on your org’s priorities, pain points, and goals.