AI-powered HR management will define the employee experience

However, there’s a need to clear misconceptions about AI and position technology as a powerful tool that can elevate the employee experience and nurture a more desirable workplace.

First, it is important to remember that AI is not new, and many modern HR management systems (HRMS) already integrate varying AI and machine learning capabilities. These tools are used to automate repetitive tasks, analyse data, and provide insights that can help improve HR decision-making. The new era of AI, such as large language models (ChatGPT), simply elevates these capabilities to the next level.

AI is a fast-moving target but based on our experience as a pioneer in bringing advanced capabilities to the HR function, we recognise AI’s powerful role in augmenting decision-making, providing predictive insights and significantly reducing time-to-action.

Somewhat counterintuitively, AI can humanise the employee experience at work. Humans suffer from inherent biases, whether we like to admit it or not. HR teams are no different. A well-designed AI-based HR platform – with care taken to identify and free it of AI bias – can help organisations identify prejudices and promote diversity and inclusion through objective data analysis.

Such a framework replaces intuition with data-driven hiring/promotion decisions that forge a more inclusive workplace culture. Further, AI can help employees better manage their work-life balance by optimising time management, scheduling, and task prioritisation.

Almost universally, tasks such as filing expense claims, timesheets and various office documentation provoke feelings of despair and frustration for all involved. On the contrary, machine learning can instantly and accurately process key HR documents without requiring manual effort, reducing friction, time and costs while cutting human error.

AI-powered auto-scan of bills can capture expenses on the go, while modern OCR can quickly verify candidate/new employee ID proof and documents. Conversely, AI-powered chatbots will quickly help employees locate necessary documents, reducing the time dedicated to mundane tasks.

Artificial intelligence will also deepen employee self-service, a major trend over the last decade. With AI-enabled tools, employees can take greater control over their professional lives, from managing their schedules to setting learning and development goals.

This can lead to better work-life balance and a more empowered workforce. An employee self-service portal also saves employees the hassle of contacting HR for every issue, reducing the administrative burden on HR teams.

Employee self-service, presented on mobile, brings an intuitive consumer-like interface to the enterprise. Employees can interact with a platform they are comfortable with, making them a more productive asset for the organisation.

AI can also help provide real-time feedback to employees on their performance, helping them quickly identify areas for improvement and build their skills. This will inevitably lead to more engaged and motivated employees.

Meanwhile, AI-powered chatbots can help foster easier interaction between employees and HR tools. This reduces the burden on HR teams while providing employees with quick access to information and support.

Employee learning and development is often an imprecise art. Employees are often presented with blanket training programmes with little regard for skill level. On the contrary, AI can offer tailored learning advice and performance goals based on employee abilities and position by analysing prior performance patterns.

Further, by collecting personalised data on each employee, their role, and their talents, AI and ML algorithms can offer suggestions on upskilling initiatives based on the experience of other employees in comparable positions.

Additionally, measuring and analysing employee performance as part of performance management is complex and often based on personal interpretation, which may lead to accusations of favouritism. AI takes the guesswork out of performance appraisal by employing data and analytics for employers to learn what motivates their people, identify potential obstacles, and provide excellent performance management recommendations.

When applied correctly, technology reinforces a sense of fairness, eliminating the potential for misperception in performance appraisal. Further, an intelligent performance management system eliminates laborious and time-consuming feedback, thereby improving the frequency and quality of feedback.

In a busy work environment, some things can fly under the radar through no one’s fault. AI helps shine a light on unseen patterns and employee behaviours and inspire the right action at the right time across the employee lifecycle.

For business leaders, AI is a powerful tool to improve the bottom line. Research shows that 84 percent of organisations believe AI will give their business a competitive advantage. Also, two-thirds of HR practitioners say AI does not make them nervous. Data also shows that companies can save 14 hours on average per week if AI-powered every HR sub-function.

Ultimately, AI is a fantastic tool for empowering employees, professional development, and forging better work/life balance. By embracing AI, businesses can attract and retain top talent by offering innovative and forward-thinking workplace practices.