An open letter on behalf of human resources

I moved from a large multinational organization into a technology scale up as HR technology was rapidly becoming a billion dollar industry. It was a time when an ever tightening labor market with the lowest unemployment rate seen in decades, and negative unemployment in the tech sector put Human Resources teams at the center of every organization’s strategic plan. Everything from talent acquisition, employer branding, to the day-to-day employee experience was evolving and the bar continually raised. It seemed like everyday my inbox was flooded with new vendor emails offering to help me digitize my organization and get me ready for the “new world of work.” Everyone seemed to be offering a new solution to help better coach, lead, train, develop, hire, retain, etc. 

Our HR focus shifted due to COVID-19

And then overnight, the news of COVID-19 became the focus for HR teams across the world. Large employers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google decided that in order to help safeguard their employees and reduce the risk of spreading the virus, teams would need to implement social distancing practices and work exclusively from home. Smaller organizations, like League, were having daily calls, speaking to trusted advisors and medical experts, and watching all of the headlines unfold as we contemplated the right time to send our employees to work from home as well. In a little less than a week, business as usual became very unusual.  

Now, social distancing is in full effect. This has included the shutdown of most public spaces, schools, universities, and businesses that have been deemed “non-essential.” Restaurants and bars are providing takeout or delivery service only, and movie theaters, concerts, and even Broadway has gone dark. 

Suddenly, we are faced with managing a fully distributed workforce and supporting employees as they transition to their new working environments. As employees transform their homes into new work spaces, and kitchen tables into makeshift school rooms, HR is busy ensuring that employees have the tools they need to be successful, and feel supported. This can range from a benefit top-up to help them purchase the home office supplies they need, providing virtual resources and tips on best practices for working remotely, or educational resources for parents who have suddenly become the primary educator. HR is also supporting leaders across the business to effectively manage remote employees, who are experiencing elevated levels of stress and anxiety due to the current situation. 

The need for top tech talent has not subsided. HR teams in this sector have transitioned processes overnight to virtually recruit, interview, and onboard talent. This includes the new challenge of translating our office perks and company culture into an exclusively virtual experience. 

However, there are also HR teams that are stuck with the ugly work of laying off employees and in some cases, supporting full business closures. It’s a part of the job that no one enjoys, and HR is ensuring that employees are treated with dignity and respect during this dark time.

For businesses in critical fields like healthcare and retail, HR’s focus remains on company culture – now more than ever. We’re scheduling activities, like virtual town halls, employee hangouts, even family-friendly events to support employees with children that are experiencing cabin fever. 

Employee healthcare has been upgraded to mission critical. As HR leaders, we’re communicating daily with our employees to ensure they’re receiving credible information to help them separate the fact from fiction about this pandemic. We are focusing on the health of our employees and their families, and worrying about their mental health more than ever as we experience a period of unprecedented uncertainty as a company, and as a society.

We’re speaking with insurance carriers and our trusted advisors about relevant updates to our health and benefits programs to ensure employees have the right coverage in place. We are educating employees to ensure they’re informed about their coverage. We know that 58% of employees do not know which benefits they’re entitled to, and of those that do, only 19% actually understand the benefits that they suddenly and urgently need.

The role of HR is evolving before our eyes

As we transform all of our current people-focused processes into virtual tools, and create a “new normal” within our organizations, HR is providing an impact that’s essential to business growth and continuity. As a result, there’s a lot of pressure being felt by HR teams across the globe during this worldwide pandemic. And, unfortunately our inboxes continue to be filled with emails from vendors that are focused on selling us a new product, rather than helping us solve these new problems.

HR professionals are humans too

HR teams are made up of employees and during this time of uncertainty, it’s important to reframe the old adage that “HR has no HR.” We also miss the office vibe, socializing at the coffee machine, and the face-to-face interactions with employees and managers that energize us every day. We are employees that are also struggling with our own set of anxieties in these unsettling times, worrying about the stability of the economy, our jobs, and the health and wellbeing of our own families. At the same time, we’re also fielding calls from anxious employees, leaders, and executives all day long, because as HR leaders we are expected to have all of the answers.

We continue to work around the clock in order to meet the new demands being placed on us in this moment of crisis. We long understood that employee health is mission critical, but now so does everyone else.

We’re all in this together

So, I ask the vendors flooding HR’s inboxes to keep all of this in mind. It’s time for all of us to practice empathy and kindness. We all need to lend a helping hand where it’s needed, because we’re all in this together. We don’t need another email pitch. We need resources and solutions to help us solve the challenges HR is facing as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop.

And, to all the HR professionals who are the voice of calm in their organization, who are ensuring that employees are feeling supported, and above all, maintaining humanity at your organization during these stressful times…I am thinking about you. Thank you for all that you do.