HR Leaders Navigated the Pandemic, Remote Work, and AI—But Rarely Receive Credit
When companies hit turbulence, HR is frequently the first to take the blame. Yet the reality is far more nuanced, according to Lorie Boyd.
“HR is often the messenger,” Boyd said. “But the decisions ultimately come from leadership.”
Boyd, Chief People Officer at Plume, brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having started her career in finance and held leadership positions at PwC, Oracle, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Turo. In that time, she’s witnessed the HR function evolve dramatically—especially in the past several years.
While executives focused on strategy and markets, HR leaders quietly sustained the human foundation of their organizations through successive crises. Much of that effort unfolded behind the scenes.
The Pandemic Turned HR into Crisis Command Centers
When COVID-19 forced offices to close worldwide, HR teams stepped up as the operational backbone of their companies. They rapidly developed policies for remote work, supported essential workers, and maintained team cohesion amid widespread uncertainty.
The scope was immense. HR leaders guided employees through overlapping crises—operational upheaval paired with deep personal anxiety about health, family, and job security.
“HR leaders were responsible for guiding employees through multiple crises at once,” Boyd explained. “There was the operational challenge, but also the emotional one.”
Remote Work Didn’t Just Happen—HR Built It
Once the initial shock subsided, organizations confronted a bigger question: What should the future of work look like? HR teams redesigned core systems—from performance management and hiring to compensation and culture.
Gallup research showed that six in ten U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs preferred hybrid arrangements, creating tension between employee desires for flexibility and executive pushes for a return to the office. HR professionals found themselves squarely in the middle.
“HR can design the frameworks, but we are constantly balancing employee expectations with leadership priorities,” Boyd noted. When those balances falter, HR often absorbs the public criticism.
Now, HR Is Steering Organizations Through AI Disruption
Just as companies stabilized from pandemic fallout and economic pressures, artificial intelligence introduced the next major transformation. Generative AI tools are already reshaping workflows across industries. McKinsey estimates that AI could automate tasks accounting for 60-70% of employees’ time.
Once again, HR sits at the center. Leaders are driving workforce planning, reskilling initiatives, role redesign, and organizational restructuring—all while maintaining transparency, fairness, and trust.
“AI will fundamentally reshape how work gets done,” Boyd said. “HR leaders will play a central role in helping companies prepare their people for that shift.”
The Invisible Infrastructure
HR teams often operate with limited resources while managing global workforces, talent pipelines, compensation, culture, and leadership transitions. At Plume, where Boyd oversees HR for teams across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, the function is treated as a respected strategic partner. Unfortunately, this level of recognition is not universal.
HR has been instrumental in helping organizations survive a global pandemic, reinvent work models, and adapt to transformative technology. They manage the human realities of every major business shift—yet their contributions frequently go unacknowledged.
The real question may not be why HR sometimes gets blamed. It’s why the professionals who hold so much together rarely receive the credit they deserve.