USA 
United Kingdom
A major IT outage has caused chaos across the globe, with flights, hospitals, pharmacies, police forces, banks, and businesses all affected.
The outage was caused by a technology glitch when cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike ran a software update. The bug affected Microsoft operating systems, leading to outages that have grounded flights and disrupted business operations.
Workers across the globe switching on their work devices have been met with the 'Blue Screen of Death,' or else had travel plans into the office affected, among other disruptions.
In a statement, Crowdstrike confirmed the issue was not a security or cyber-attack. “The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” it stated.
Speaking to NBC, CEO George Kurtz said that while the issue has been fixed, the disruption may continue for the foreseeable future.
"It could be some time for some systems that just automatically won't recover, but it is our mission... to make sure every customer is fully recovered," he confirmed.
While services may resume usual service throughout Friday and the forthcoming weekend, the scale of the outage means disruption will be widespread and plenty of headaches for employers and employees alike.
What does the global IT outage mean for HR?
With a major outage so widespread, employers should be prepared for major disruptions to work, and take steps to minimize its impact, whether or not the company directly uses Microsoft operating systems.
Peninsula, a global employment law and advisory firm, suggests a range of options for HR teams to consider if their organization has been directly affected by the disruption, which has included employees left unable to access work devices needed to complete their work.
“If the IT outage prevents your business from operating as normal, then consider all options,” advises Nicole Whittaker, Associate Director of HR Consulting.
“Is there any other work that employees can do? If not, then could they take banked time-off in lieu or last-minute annual leave to avoid losing a day’s pay?
“If that’s not an option, employers may need to look to the contract of employment to see if there is a lay-off clause. This means that the employee temporarily doesn’t work. If there isn’t the contractual right to place them on lay-off, then employers will need to get the employees’ agreement to it.”
Alina Timofeeva, a strategic advisor to the C-suite of major financial services organizations and cybersecurity expert, advises HR teams to be transparent with their workers.
“The key would be to have a clear communication to the employees about the impact the IT outage had on the organization, what services are available versus which are impacted, the clear timeline estimates in place as to when the services could be available including the workarounds in place.”
How else might IT outages be affecting employees?
Employees could also be indirectly affected by disruptions to travel by plane, train, or other forms of transport impacted by the outage. Whittaker advises HR teams to avoid penalizing workers for lateness.
Employers measuring in-office attendance as a part of return-to-office or hybrid working should also factor in the disruption with many workers left unable to travel into the office.
Some HR teams will also need to manage employees due back from holiday who, due to disrupted travel plans, may not be able to return to work as planned. “It may cause headaches for employers trying to find last-minute cover,” Whittaker admits. “Employers could look to see if any employees impacted have any annual leave left and let them take this, even though it is last minute, to cover their absence.”
AI in Hiring: Trends, Insights and Predictions
As AI revolutionizes the recruitment life cycle at warp speed, HR leaders must stay informed about AI’s advantages and its current shortcomings.
How can we adopt these tools to stay competitive and efficient while retaining the human touch that remains critical to optimizing candidate experience, making informed decisions, and, ultimately, building strong teams and cultures?
That is our industry’s biggest challenge as we navigate this new terrain. We hope these insights, tips, and predictions will help drive innovation and excellence in your hiring practice.
Echoing Timofeeva’s sentiments, Whittaker emphasizes the need for transparency. “Communication is key here, discuss the options with the employee to see what works best for both parties,” she adds.
Given the outage has also affected hospitals and pharmacies, HR teams may also need to expect disruption to workers who are taking time off for medical leave, including delays in treatment and even the inability to secure the necessary documentation from hospitals.
IT outage could lead to issues with payroll
With many systems affected by the outage, there may also be disruption to payroll. “If it’s payday and the IT issues impact upon an employer’s ability to pay their staff then communication will be key to maintain positive employee relations,” Whittaker says.
“Let the workforce know what is happening so that they remain fully informed. Employers could also consider if there is anything that they can do to help employees out if it is going to cause an employee particular hardship by not getting paid when they expect to.”
Although they will be swamped with complaints and requests, HR professionals should conduct a review in partnership with IT to identify any servers affected by the outage including payroll as well as any HR software being used by the company to manage employees.
Timofeeva adds this may be a wake-up call for employers to establish a business continuity and disaster recovery plan if they have not implemented one already.
As the disruption caused by the outage continues to fall out over the weekend, Whittaker’s parting message is for HR teams to be patient, supportive, and flexible.
“Above all, be considerate and remember that this disruption is something nobody could have predicted,” she concludes.
