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The evolving business environment and the rapid pace of technology have changed the HR landscape. And the role of HR professionals is even more important now to support organizations, innovate workplaces and enhance the employee experience.
HR leaders are going to need to feel comfortable with emerging technology and many are beginning to explore GenAI tools that could increase efficiencies, enhance decision-making, and provide more personalized services across the enterprise. With the proper governance and guardrails, AI could enable HR leaders to focus on what they do best – advocating for people every day, making a meaningful difference and redesigning workplaces of the future.
The rise of generative AI brings new opportunities to the HR function, and challenges. Here are some key principles and areas HR leaders should consider as they assess the potential of genAI and guide their organizations into the future:
Establish guardrails and accountability for responsible AI: Establishing responsible AI governance and a rigorous vetting process will help resolve important questions and clear the way for responsible development and use of generative AI. Questions like: how will data privacy be ensured? How will generative AI be held accountable for the decisions it makes? How can we protect against bias?
Take a human-centered approach: People must oversee and guide the collaboration and be responsible for the outcomes produced, including its accuracy and quality. By encouraging a safe test and learn environment, employees can examine creative ways to use generative AI to produce strong results, perhaps even outcomes that neither could achieve alone – and almost certainly faster than before, allowing HR leaders to concentrate on higher value, strategic work.
Develop a more inclusive hiring process: In the future, generative AI, when done responsibly, could help HR develop job requirements by analyzing historical data to determine which skills are critical to success in a role. This approach could also facilitate skills-based hiring to ensure the candidates with the greatest potential have access to opportunity, boosting inclusive hiring efforts in the process.
Create an easier onboarding process: Research has revealed that generative AI doesn't significantly assist or alleviate the workflows of experienced employees. Instead, it's the new employees who gain the most significant benefits, as they can more easily access the support and institutional knowledge necessary for their success.
Personalize skills matching and career mapping: Generative AI could illuminate a range of career paths and begin to help people understand how to get there based on job opportunities provided. In the future, people could have a conversation with an intelligent chatbot, providing their skills and experiences, and inquire about available roles and development opportunities. For example, the chatbot could offer insights such as typical and non-traditional career paths that others may have pursued based on the individual's skill profile.
Anticipate gaps and opportunities early: In the future, Generative AI could help quickly analyze key themes and trends around the employee experience and sentiment based on employee pulse surveys and feedback. This could help identify gaps and risks before the issue becomes a problem, creating an early warning system for managers who could intervene to help course-correct and reskill where needed. It could also help identify opportunity areas, making positive correlations to the employee experience.
As businesses experiment with new AI tools and prepare for tomorrow's talent, HR leaders have a vital role to play in safely ushering in a new era of employee engagement, human-led programs and strong business growth.
Aaron Brown is the SVP of Total Rewards at Synchrony, a leading consumer financial services company.
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