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Artificial Intelligence (AI) & HR

The New Era of AI-Centered Human Resources

By now, you’ve probably heard of Artificial Intelligence or AI. Big data, the rise of neural networks and deep learning are reshaping the landscape for all aspects of business. Twenty-first-century human resources are grounded in AI, and the overhaul or design of work is underway.

According to IBM CEO Ginny Rometty, in the next 5-10 years, 100 percent of jobs are going to change. However, that does not mean machines will replace HR. Rather, it’s going to be a hybrid where AI is enabling the HR professional to do more valuable work. Today we’ll explore some areas where HR and AI are already changing the landscape of the HR evolution.

Talent Acquisition

One of the HR functions that was an early adopter of some form of AI, was talent acquisition. Recruitment coordination between employers and job candidates can take a surprisingly large number of touch points in order to achieve a successful candidate experience. To address this, talent acquisition leaders have implemented chatbots (AI programmed communication) into the equation to streamline the process and build efficiency into the process. The results are communications between prospective candidates and recruitment systems that seem like a person to person dialog. And it’s faster and more efficient.

The Big Leap – Predicting Employee Turnover

Employee turnover is one of the most well-known and costly challenges organizations face. Reducing voluntary turnover equates to better employee engagement and has a direct correlation to bottom line business improvements. Now, what if you could accurately predict turnover up to six months in advance? IBM’s AI initiative Watson has some compelling developments around AI and predicting employee turnover with 95% accuracy.

IBM has a patent utilizing AI that can predict when employees will voluntarily resign. Their “predictive attrition program” has been successfully deployed resulting in savings of over $300 million based on interventions that have saved staff instead of losing them.

How it works: The Algorithm measures employee activity like meeting attendance, the cadence of response times, email scanning, calendars, feedback and social media feeds. It may seem Orwellian for some, yet the results are impressive. According to IBM CEO, Ginny Rometty, “The best time to get to an employee is before they go.”

AI & Employee Careers

The role of HR in charting employees’ career and individual development is another prime area where leveraging AI can benefit the business. Again, IBM has a suite of AI tools that are helping redefine HR. In this case, AI is used to assess employees’ skills. The AI engine suggests to each employee what they should be learning to get ahead in their career. The future workforce is about skills being treated as a renewable asset, which need to be nurtured.

Nudge – Nudge

AI engines are helping HR manage tasks and measure priorities. Humu is an exciting new company that was started by a group of ex-Google HR leaders where they have developed an AI-based nudge engine to help prompt behaviors to help create better leadership, collaboration and inclusion in workplaces. Over time these nudges inspire employees towards action that drive the right results. Humu’s nudges have increased activity in organizations by as much as 250%, making change easier and improving the quality of work.

Bringing it All Together

It’s evident that AI will be engrained in the new workforce. HR functions embracing AI are seeing remarkable results. While efficiencies may reduce the number of HR roles in the future overall by potentially 30%, the type of work performed by HR professionals are higher paying, and more strategic, high-value based roles.

Our notion is its time to put this fresh thinking to work and get in front of the transformation that’s taking place. It’s an exciting time to be in the human capital function with the enablement of genuinely transformative technology to make work better and create rewarding employee experiences.

Contact your OneDigital HR Consultant to discover how AI can be best utilized in your organization to enhance your HR function.

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