When people are asked the question, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” most are likely to answer something cliche like, “the ability to fly,” or “the ability to breathe underwater,” or “the ability to not be so tragically awkward in social settings to the point where we can’t show our face around that group of people for a minimum of 6-8 weeks.” You know, the typical superpowers we can only dream of.
When it comes to the office environment, HR and People Ops superheroes are often trying to save the world using rudimentary tools and processes that are more of a super hindrance than a superpower.
With budget constraints abound, adding more superheroes to the squad isn’t always an option because the best People Ops pros don’t grow on trees from Krypton (does Krypton have trees?), or perhaps more importantly, they tend to not work pro-bono. Further, your squad can only do so much if the world is burning around you from perpetual administrative dumpster fires that seem to ignite at the worst possible moments.
Increase output without increasing the team
Every superhero has to navigate some sort of constraint or limitation. If they didn’t, then their stories wouldn’t be very compelling because nothing could ever stop them. Similarly, though the constraints most HR and People Ops teams face vary from organization to organization, villains like limited bandwidth and budget, balancing organizational goals with the employee experience, and outdated systems tend to be ubiquitous foils of team success.
Turning your squad into a superteam requires superpowers that increase bandwidth without increasing headcount, remove administrative burdens while giving budget relief, and accomplish organizational goals while improving the employee experience.
It’s no Hollywood fantasy, but it does require a bit of imagination. More specifically, imagine what your team’s day would be like if there weren’t so many manual processes and antiquated systems trying to destroy any semblance of an efficient workflow. These evil villains of efficiency not only make life a living nightmare for your team, but also thwart your attempts to effectively support your people and lift the trajectory of your organization.
Take stock of the tools currently at your disposal and mentally tally how many make you Hulk-like with frustration. Go ahead, we’ll wait for a few…
You aren’t alone if just that simple exercise raised your blood pressure, but reprieve is on the way in the form of more modern technologies that can automate most of, if not all of, your least favorite to-dos while saving your team time and money.
HR technology is your ally in the battle against inefficiency
Not all technologies are created equally, of course. Some simply don’t perform as advertised, and others might be cost-prohibitive or create new issues like compliance risks. It’s important to thoroughly vet any superpower technological solution you plan to turn to, and it’s just as important to prioritize the pain points you’re hoping technology will solve.
If leave of absence management has been bogging your team down for years with everything from FMLA or ADA-related compliance risks to straight-up confusing processes and leave laws that are changing all the time, perhaps that’s a good candidate for a pain point that technology can take off your plate. If you’re thinking “um, yeah…that’s me!” then you certainly aren’t alone.
While we admittedly have a vested interest in helping organizations make leave not suck for People Ops teams and employees alike, the following quote about modern leave management technology underscores how solutions currently exist that can truly feel like a superpower when adding headcount isn’t an option:
“Tilt is life-changing. No more dreading when someone goes on leave. No more researching each state to know what is provided. No more spreadsheets! No more answering questions I’m not really sure about. No more keeping track of employees’ return dates. No more having to keep managers updated.” – Sr. HR Operations Manager for Leading Benefits Administration organization
If technology saved your organization money by improving retention, keeping you compliant, and making it easy for employees to apply for state benefits, all while taking manual work off your plate, what would that free you and your team up to do? What passion projects would you be able to work on today that would help your team ascend to superhero status that you’re constantly having to put on the back burner?
HR in the age of automation
It can feel like a part-time job trying to stay on top of emerging trends and technologies, but doing so is an invaluable step in ensuring you and your team are able to do the work that you got into this industry for in the first place. Further, the right technology can automate those burdensome manual processes while improving the level of support to the employee population you serve, all while providing a boost to your org’s bottom line.
About Tilt
Tilt is leading the charge in all things leave of absence management through easy-to-use tech and human touch. Since 2017, our proprietary platform and Empathy Warriors have been helping customers make leave not suck by eliminating administrative burdens, keeping companies compliant, and providing a truly positive and supportive leave of absence experience for their people.
