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In HR, we spend too much time in Reactive Mode.

Some important work will always be reactive. Reacting to the unexpected is part of our job.

But so is being proactive.

Too much reactive work means our business stagnates and we risk burning out as we’re always on someone else’s schedule.

Ideally, how much time should we spend in Proactive Mode?

The 70% Proactive Work Goal

Reactive teams respond to problems after they happen. Proactive teams eliminate them before.

The strong HR teams spend most of their time, about 70%, on proactive work - and just 30% of time on reactive tasks. It's a stretch goal, but realistic if you structure work in a certain way outlined below. 

How can my team be more Proactive?

Better Foresight. Better Timing.

How do you take HR from being a reactive, transactional business process, to a strategic, proactive service delivering more value to the organization?

The difference between reactive and proactive HR comes down to better foresight and timing.

Once you achieve this balance, your team will forever be different – in the best possible way.The big question is - how will you get there?

Take these three steps.

Step 1: Map your processes on an Employee Journey Map

Proactivity starts with understanding. In the HR context, we need to map what predictable events/moments could happen throughout an employee's journey.

We can never predict the truly unexpected - that’s ok. But many things that pop up could have been anticipated.

Pyn's Employee Journey Mapper is coming soon. Our free tool will enable you to easily build an Employee Journey Map you can collaborate and share with your team. In the meantime, check out our guide to 6 tools you can use to design your Employee Journey Map.

Step 2: Pinpoint early signals you should act on

We react to “lagging indicators” or output measures. To be proactive, we should identify “leading indicators” or predictive measurement.

Examples:

• You hear "Folks feel exhausted"
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• You need to "structure a PIP for an underperforming Support Agent"
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• You're dealing with a "Person who resigned citing salary concerns"
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How to get leading indicator data

You already have it!

The data is all in your HRIS. Or in Zendesk. Or Salesforce. Or whatever system you already use. We just don't do much with that important information.

Tools like Pyn extract relevant data from those systems. And they basically define warning signals that could lead to an issue down the track.

Step 3: Nudge people towards action

Proactive HR teams ensure employees or managers are made aware of important moments without the need for HR to get involved.

They send informational and actionable nudges when leading indicators come up.

It cuts out a huge HR workload, as those team proactively avoid possible questions or issues developing later.

Examples:

• Nudge to manager of new parent a few weeks prior to them returning from leave with information on how to put together a return to work plan.
• Nudge a manager who has a direct report in India when Diwali (a public Holiday in India) is coming up so they can wish them a happy time and take steps to be prepared for their out of office time. 

Pyn was built to help you automate employee communications and support employees across their journey. To learn more about how Pyn works, request a demo.