HR leaders need clear, direct information to make confident decisions about employee support and leaves of absence. In the spirit of transparency, we present this Q&A directly from Hollis Baker, Tilt’s Product Marketing Manager, on the challenges in leave management and the transformative power of our new AI-powered voice agent, Tilley Voice.
What are the biggest blind spots that HR teams run into today when supporting an employee's leave of absence?
“One of the things we hear from HR teams time and time again is that so much of the information that is communicated throughout the life cycle of a leave is hidden in back and forth emails or vendor communications that they might not have visibility into. It’s on the HR leader to make sure that the information is surfaced or implemented into their systems. That lack of visibility and actionable information that comes out of those communications can be a big struggle for teams.”
For companies with employees that aren't behind a desk all the time, what makes managing a leave request uniquely difficult?
“So these days, it’s almost a requirement for HR teams to use different technology platforms. And while teams tend to be pretty fluent in those tools, employees don’t necessarily have that same access, especially if they’re not a remote employee or don’t regularly use a laptop. If you work in those settings, just being able to get in contact with an employee that is not constantly sitting at a desk or accessible via some other tech platform can be really difficult.“
Even if you are working behind a desk, how does the need for immediate, 24/7 accessibility impact an employee's leave experience?
“What’s so interesting is that when you talk to employees about their leave experience… When they’re actually away from work and fully engaged in whatever life moment that they are involved in, it can be difficult to think about getting back into the mode of, “oh, let me open my laptop; let me log into a platform; let me remember my password and sort of get back in contact with those tools that they might use on a day-to-day basis for work.” Having a tool that doesn’t require you to reopen or reengage with the tools that you use for work can be helpful because your life is not operating on the schedule that it’s operating on when you’re in your nine to five.
When you think about that aspect of a leave, which is a real human moment that someone is fully engaged in that has taken them away from work, allowing them to have tools that don’t require them to be on the same schedule that work does is essential.”
Let’s talk about Tilley Voice. What is it and what makes it such a powerful step forward for HR teams and Tilt?
“Tilley Voice is Tilt’s 24/7 voice agent that allows employees to do three key things all through their phone:
- Initiate a leave: Employees can start their leave process right away without needing to log onto an HR portal.
- Update key details throughout their leave experience: They can adjust dates or provide necessary information easily using the tool they already have in their pocket.
- Ask general leave questions: Employees get immediate, compliant answers to their FMLA and policy questions.
Tilley Voice is a perfect use case for how HR teams can leverage AI through their leave experiences because it cuts down on that repetitive but still essential information and questions that happen throughout the leave process. It really frees teams to do that important human work because those repetitive tasks can actually just be automated through technology… having the option to interact with the leave process right through your phone is easy.”
How does Tilley Voice make leave support more accessible for every employee?
“One thing that’s really important for us at Tilt is building towards a future where everyone is able to have a positive leave experience no matter where or how they work.
We know that there are so many employees across industries and across job types that don’t have the same level of fluency and access to leave options as others. And when you combine that with the fact that they don’t have the right tools to facilitate a leave experience that’s comfortable for them and that comes naturally through the tools that they already use, it really creates an imbalance in the type of leave experiences that different employees are able to have just based on where they work.
So, Tilley Voice is an essential tool to start breaking down those barriers.”
What are the benefits of incorporating Tilley Voice into an HR team that is already stretched for time and resources?
“One of the key benefits that we’re working towards is reducing the amount of back and forth that HR teams are required to do with their employees. It’s really important to us that employees across industries are able to self-serve on their leave and get answers whenever they have them. And that doesn’t have to be dependent on the hours that their HR team is working, they can access that support 24/7. Lastly, we also want to provide peace of mind to HR that no matter what tools we build, they are always being built with compliance first as a mindset.”
How does Tilley Voice know when to escalate a discussion on the phone to an actual human to take care of a situation when a leave becomes too complex?
“Tilley is powered by AbsenceIQ, Tilt’s leave intelligence system. We’re able to safely disseminate information that we know to be true based on our past experiences of managing leave. But when the system feels unsure about a question an employee may be asking, it will escalate that information to a Leave Success Manager. It never speculates. If there’s any level of uncertainty in the back end systems that power Tilley Voice, it is escalated directly to a human.”
How does Tilley empower HR teams to show up for their employees when they need it most?
“Tilley Voice as a tool is meant to handle those repetitive tasks that aren’t necessarily key moments of human connection or notable support in the leave journey. By taking those types of tasks off of HR’s plate through Tilley Voice and other tools that we’re developing, we’re leaving space for HR to connect with employees in the moments where it matters and where it can make an impact on their experience.”
Can you give us a sneak peek into what other areas of leave management the Tilley product suite could cover next?
“Our key philosophy when building Al-powered tools isn’t ‘let’s use Al for the sake of using Al.’ We think that there are a number of key areas in the leave process where Al can shine and support HR teams. These include:
- Smarter reporting for key business insights
- Surfacing compliance information to teams in unique ways in the moments where it matters
- Supporting different languages so we can support even more employees in organizations”
What are key indicators that an organization is ready to bring in a solution like Tilley Voice?
“I would say if you have a large population of deskless employees like those in retail, people that work in manufacturing and logistics who are on their feet, on the go and on the move. The other group I would say is companies that are concerned with their employees getting compliant FMLA information. If you’re looking for a leave solution that may be different from what you do today, but still provides that phone support layer, Tilley Voice is a really great option to consider.”
Clarity and Confidence Through Direct Expertise
Tilley Voice is the start of a new era in Leave Experience Management, automating administrative burden to provide HR teams with clarity, confidence, and control. By delivering compliant, 24/7 accessibility, Tilt ensures every employee receives the seamless support they deserve during critical life moments.
About Tilt
Every leave is a defining moment in the employee experience. Tilt exists to transform these moments from sources of stress and risk into opportunities for trust, care, and connection. Through Leave Experience Management (LXM), we ensure leave is seamless, compliant, and empowering—so HR can lead with confidence and employees feel fully supported when it matters most.
