What does it mean to keep human resources human? HR departments see the value of utilizing artificial intelligence for routine, repetitive administrative tasks such as resume screening, scheduling and payroll. According to a recent Society of Human Resources Management survey, the top five ways HR departments are using AI to support recruiting efforts are:
- Generating job descriptions — 65%
- Screening applicant resumes — 44%
- Automating candidate searches — 32%
- Customizing job descriptions to targeted groups — 31%
- Communicating with applicants during the interview process — 29%
By taking the burden off their shoulders, HR departments are finding more free time to take on the more nuanced aspects of their work. This includes coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution, handling disciplinary action and making final hiring and firing decisions. HR departments are learning that there is a fine line between which tasks should be given to AI and which should not.
For example, when one company replaced its human managers with AI to handle performance reviews, the process backfired. Employees were not pleased being evaluated solely based on algorithms and strongly preferred to be evaluated by their human manager, who had a better understanding of their day-to-day job performance. The lesson learned is that there is no substitute for human judgment and understanding.
Long-term effects
A healthy organization needs to address the concerns of its employees in terms of building a psychologically safe place to work. Employees cannot be productive and engaged if they believe they will lose their job to AI. Companies will need to be transparent and explain to employees how they intend to use AI. Now, only about a third of employees feel that their companies have been open about their plans for the role of AI. Managers need to communicate clearly to employees if retraining or transitioning is included in their plans. Without honest communication, employee fears are only reinforced.
With AI in place, HR needs to regularly conduct audits to make sure fairness and inclusion are being maintained across all employee groups. An organization that adopted AI tools for client insights and productivity found an unintended consequence — the tool was rolled out first to senior managers, giving them an advantage over their junior counterparts. The result was technological inequality within the company.
With AI taking on the lower-level tasks, HR can elevate roles that rely on empathy, creativity and collaboration. When necessary, jobs will need to be redesigned. Besides earning them a paycheck, employees expect their work to be meaningful, engaging and satisfying. This means work should be challenging and allow employees to feel that they are contributing in part to the larger business goals of their company.
AI gives businesses the opportunity to streamline their practices, save time and increase productivity. The job of AI is to enhance human accomplishment and judgment, not replace it.