Part 1- Guardians of Stability: The Vital Role & Responsibility of HR in Crisis

How do those in HR (Human Renaissance) prepare, respond, and create safety and stability in our organizations with ever changing crises?? I will be distilling the answers to these questions in three different posts over the next month in a thoughtful partnership with my friend and colleague Courtney Bass Sherizen and some other women-identifying leaders.? Courtney and I met during a powerful panel discussion on this topic at #Transform2024, but were only able to scratch the surface.? We both had a desire to connect deeper on the subject with the motivation that our passion experience could be in service for the greatest good.

Here are some pivotal takeaways from our discussions on the role and responsibility of HR in crisis.??

??? Crisis is the new norm and companies are embedded in sociopolitical issues, not separate from it.? This means that companies are directly connected to major crises that engulf society, from climate change to income inequality, human trafficking, reproductive rights, and beyond.?

?? There are 6 roles HR can play in a crisis:?

• The Observer- This role is observing what is happening and taking in all the multiple viewpoints, risks, and possibilities for resolution.
• The Confident- This role listens, emphasizes, witnesses the hurt and healing in the midst of crises.
• The Custodian of Culture- This role has enormous influence on the kind of psychological safety, stability, and reassurance that is imparted during crises.
• The Communicator- This role is communicating the united front of the ELT, other senior stakeholders, and leveraging where to go to find resources so that employees have what information they need to do their job, but also receive the support for their mental and physical well being.
• The Decision Maker- This role is seeing the strategy and being planful in the clean up of crises.
• The Clean Up Crew- Decisions are made that are poor and someone goes to HR and says fix it. The majority of HR are women identifying, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA2S+, or intersectional in these three groups. These folks are being asked to clean up a situation they didn't create nor have the same authority of those whom they are reporting to.

In summary, What is necessary is that? numerous, equity-minded people with power come together to attend to and resolve the crisis as best they can.????

?? Crisis teams need to be pick their battles.? Each crisis affects companies in different ways; it can be challenging for organizations to identify which ones pose a threat to their businesses, their employees, their customers, their communities, and what is the appropriate response.?

?? Companies are responsible to all people in society — not just today but for generations to come. Most crises simmer over years and their impact may only be noticeable in the future. It can be hard to know who caused the crisis — there may be many perpetrators. Instead of just focusing on the exact cause of a crisis, it’s important for businesses to recognize the broader ways in which they can support communities.? For example, Did you know that microplastics are being detected in the placentas of pregnant women after decades of plastics accumulating on land and in water? Think again before you buy that latte without bringing your reusable cup, going to the grocery store without your bag, or not influencing the airline you are flying to start using compostable tableware. How are businesses being responsible and the solution for this worldwide problem?

Do you remember, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast of the U.S. in 2005, Walmart was among the first organizations to provide disaster relief . Walmart employees brought food and water and offered shelter to thousands of people in New Orleans who were affected. The CEO was Lee Scott at the time and leadership made the decision to help because they could, not because it mattered to stakeholders.

?? What makes today's crises different--and how can you determine if one is on the horizon? We will be exploring the 5 phases of the crisis and how you can best assess risk and prepare a strategy in the third post and article on this subject, but here is the simple answer.? Take on what directly impacts your people-employees, customers and stakeholders.? Communicate your values and be honest about your shortcomings.? Choose to direct and influence what is in your lane and delegate out what is not.??

The essential idea is to recognize that turbulence is the new normal and it is unlikely that a stable, predictable world order will emerge.? This means that equipping your organizations and yourself with the skills to lead in complex times is essential. Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 of this subject and discussion in the next month.

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What experience or wisdom would you like to add to the role and responsibility of HR in crisis??