It’s not controversial to say that HR’s role in organizational resiliency has historically been discussed around the digital water cooler as transactional in nature.
- Hiring
- Firing
- Compensation
- Benefits
- Conflict resolution
It’s even less controversial to say that those functions are hardly representative of the countless ways HR keeps the engine of your organization running smoothly.
HR leaders have to be flexible when faced with pressures caused by economic shifts and the ramifications that follow, but rarely is that a controllable circumstance, which further adds to the stigma that HR teams are a vital force for business, but are reactionary in nature.
Things are changing, however, as HR’s true impact is melting away these stigmas away to reveal the strategic driver of organizational resilience they truly are.
Every industry is taking notice that HR’s organizational impact on resiliency goes far beyond the reactionary, and plays a vital role in creating adaptive, sustainable organizations.
HR's Expanding Role in Building Organizational Resilience
So why talk about organizational resilience at all?
Is it because it allows businesses to navigate uncertainty without losing momentum? Is it because resilient organizations are better equipped to handle crises, minimize downtime, and maintain employee morale, giving them a competitive edge in unpredictable environments?
…Yes. All of that.
In short, it helps companies stay strong, agile, and future-ready. And HR’s recognition and role in organizational resilience is on the rise.
How Can HR Adapt to The Evolving Business Landscape?
Businesses today are navigating a complex web of global uncertainty, and while that seems like a, “Well isn’t that always the case?” type statement, businesses are reporting facing change at a faster rate than ever before.
According to a recent report by Accenture, the rate of change business leaders reported facing increased by 183% over the past four years, and 33% in just the past year. Looking forward, 88% of respondents said they anticipate an even faster rate of change in their sectors in 2024.
What are some of the factors contributing to this change:
- Economic downturns (upturns require a different kind of resilience)
- Supply chain disruptions
- Technological shifts to societal changes like remote work
- Emphasis on employee well-being
- Diversity expectations
- Employee engagement expectations
- Competitive benefits
- Compliance confidence
The list of challenges organizations face to remain competitive and resilient is ever-growing and is evolving faster and faster.
Organizations must be prepared for unpredictable crises, such as pandemics or geopolitical instability, while also handling everyday business risks like employee turnover and market fluctuations.
Resilience is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Organizations that can’t adapt to new circumstances quickly risk being left behind. This adaptability requires businesses to rethink their workforce strategies, focus on strengthening their employee population, and maintain a flexible structure to meet evolving demands.
HR departments are uniquely positioned to support this shift. As the function most closely connected to an organization’s people, HR must ensure the workforce is agile, engaged, and ready to adapt to change. The ability to support rapid organizational pivots, such as transitioning to remote work or reorganizing teams, places HR at the forefront of building resilience.
How HR is Leading The Resilience Charge
The days of HR being viewed as solely an administrative function are over. HR is now a critical partner in driving business strategy.
With the ability to forecast workforce needs, build talent pipelines, and ensure alignment between business objectives and employee engagement, HR plays a vital role in making organizations more resilient.
Examples of HR’s influence:
- Agile workforce planning: HR teams that embrace flexibility in hiring, development, and deployment allow businesses to quickly adjust to changing conditions. This could mean shifting talent to new projects or locations based on market demands or quickly scaling teams in response to rapid growth.
- Employee well-being programs: By promoting health and wellness initiatives and providing comprehensive leave policies with empathetic support, HR can mitigate the impacts of stress, burnout, and absenteeism, which are major threats to organizational resilience.
- Leadership development: HR helps build strong leaders who can guide their teams through challenges, encouraging innovation and problem-solving under pressure.
HR is an organization’s resilience architect
The real transformation comes when HR begins to embed resilience into organizational culture. This includes fostering a mindset where continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptability are core values. With the right support systems in place, HR can ensure employees are both empowered and prepared for whatever comes their way.
The Critical Role of Leave Management in Organizational Resiliency
Leave management might seem like a routine HR task to those on the outside looking in, but in reality, it is a cornerstone of workforce operations.
When leave is poorly managed, it can disrupt entire teams, leading to gaps in productivity, confusion about who is responsible for tasks, and unanticipated bottlenecks in operations. Managing leave effectively ensures that businesses can continue running smoothly, even when employees take time off for health issues, family obligations, or other reasons.
If leave is managed manually or inefficiently, the consequences can be severe. Employees may feel unsupported or overworked if replacements aren’t arranged properly, leading to burnout.
Additionally, errors in managing leave—such as mishandling paid leave balances or failing to comply with leave laws—can result in costly fines, lawsuits, and damage to the company’s reputation. Poor leave management can also lead to workforce dissatisfaction, increasing turnover rates and making it harder for organizations to retain top talent.
Effective leave management empowers organizations to maintain operational agility. When businesses can quickly and efficiently adjust to employee absences, they are better positioned to remain resilient during periods of disruption.
Whether it’s for planned vacations or sudden medical leave, a well-managed system helps the organization pivot and redistribute workloads without missing a beat.
Leave Management as a Differentiator for HR
One of the biggest challenges HR departments face is managing unexpected leaves, such as sudden illness or family emergencies.
Without the right systems in place, these scenarios can create chaos within an organization. Automated leave management systems improve HR’s ability to manage the unexpected and allow teams to track leave balances in real-time, adjust workloads seamlessly, and make data-driven decisions about staffing needs.
This ability to handle the unexpected is a major differentiator for HR departments that want to build organizational resilience.
Modern leave management tools, like Tilt which integrates with platforms such as Workday, are game changers for HR departments. These systems automate processes like leave requests, approvals, and keep compliance concerns in check, reducing the manual workload for HR teams and minimizing the risk of errors.
Automated systems also enable HR to have a clear, real-time view of who is available and when, allowing for faster adjustments to employee schedules or project teams. By eliminating time-consuming manual processes, HR can focus on more strategic initiatives that drive organizational resilience.
Leave management systems that are fully integrated into the larger HR tech ecosystem provide even more value. For example, a two-way API integration between Tilt and Workday allows for seamless data transfer between leave management and other HR functions, such as payroll, performance management, and workforce planning.
This integration ensures that when leave is approved, it automatically updates employee availability, pay calculations, and team workloads. Real-time data and visibility enable HR and managers to make quick, informed decisions, keeping the organization running smoothly even during staff absences.
Transforming organizational resiliency doesn’t have to be hard for HR teams, it just requires modern tools to meet modern business demands.
How HR is Creating a Culture of Trust and Flexibility with Leave
Effective leave management is crucial for building trust and employee engagement, key pillars of organizational resilience.
When employees trust that their leave will be handled smoothly and fairly, they are more likely to remain engaged and loyal to the organization. On the other hand, of course, is that poorly managed leave can lead to frustration and disengagement, eroding the employee-employer relationship and increasing turnover.
Prioritizing leave management also supports employee well-being, reducing burnout and turnover.
A recent survey by Tilt revealed that HR leaders who use a vendor to manage leaves of absence notice a 15% boost in employee retention post-leave compared to organizations relying on spreadsheets or managing them manually.
By fostering a culture that values an employee’s time when life happens hardest, and offers flexible work arrangements, HR creates an environment where employees can balance work and life needs, even during disruptions.
This flexibility not only improves productivity but also enables organizations to adapt quickly to change, making them more resilient in the long run.
How Better Leave Management Drives Organizational Resilience
Effective leave management is a cornerstone of organizational resilience, and platforms like Tilt make this process seamless by automating data transfer, reducing human error, and providing empathetic human support to employees.
With Tilt’s integration into broader HR systems like Workday, leave data flows effortlessly between systems to ensure accurate tracking of leave balances, pay calculations, and employee availability.
By reducing administrative burdens, HR teams can focus on strategic initiatives, while employees benefit from reliable, accurate management of their leave, building trust and strengthening employee engagement.
Tilt also plays a crucial role in mitigating compliance risks.
With constantly changing regulations around family and medical leave (among other policies to keep track of), it’s easy for organizations to make costly mistakes. Tilt ensures compliance by automatically updating leave policies in accordance with local and federal laws, minimizing the risk of fines, legal issues, or employee grievances.
This proactive approach to managing leave compliance not only reduces legal exposure but also enhances the organization’s reputation for fairness and ethical workforce management, a key component of long-term resilience.
Using Tilt to manage leave also helps organizations maintain employee satisfaction and adaptability. When employees trust that their leave will be handled efficiently, they are more likely to feel supported and remain loyal, reducing turnover and fostering a stable workforce.
Tilt gives HR teams a holistic window into all leaves across the organization and allows managers to plan more effectively around absences, helping organizations remain agile in the face of unexpected challenges.
Tilt gives HR the power to position themselves as a strategic driver of organizational resilience transformation.
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.
