Making leave of absence easier to navigate

The Challenge

Associates navigating a leave of absence had limited visibility into status and documents, while service-center staff handled avoidable follow-up calls.

In my second HR assignment, our team supported attendance, promotions, and leave of absence for associates across all company locations. My earlier HR assignment focused on call-center products. Team remit does not establish adoption of every individual product.

One associate interview challenged our assumption that people would know they were on leave and have an opportunity to receive information and respond. Following an unexpected medical emergency, the associate did not initially understand his leave status and still lacked a clear list of required documents and next steps after being told. This made awareness and proactive communication more urgent design concerns.

What I Led

I combined associate research with service-center shadowing and design studios. Twelve usability sessions informed a clearer way to view leave status, upload documents digitally, and receive timely reminders.

The initial MVP made leave information available on the website. Research informed a fast follow using associates' Home Depot email addresses and phone numbers to communicate by email or text about leave status, benefits, and collecting required documents ahead of time.

What Changed

The proposed digital experience gave associates a clearer way to track leave, provide documents, and understand what would happen next.

The email and text communication features were outside the original MVP and were in progress when I left the team. Their eventual release and outcomes are not confirmed in this account.

Attribution

Project details and approximate figures are based on my firsthand recollection; original internal records are unavailable. Intended benefits and estimates are identified separately from delivered outcomes.