Artificial intelligence and human resources collaborate to help save money, enhance planning, and, most significantly, transform companies.

The collaboration between artificial intelligence and human resources increases employee performance and expertise and lowers costs. AI technology in HR aids organizations in gaining a complete understanding of their staff’s behaviors and inclinations. This data may be used to improve employee happiness by enhancing the job experience.

AI is also used to assist human resources professionals in various areas of their profession, from early applicant shortlisting through performance evaluation. Integrating artificial intelligence and human resources management improves organizations’ efficiency and gives them competitive edges.

The great rendezvous: Artificial intelligence and human resources

Artificial intelligence is an important component of human resources management. It can enhance the quality of predictions and reduce expenses by doing things more efficiently, which may transform how your organization functions.

AI is also being used in payroll to check for mistakes and anomalies. This frees up time for the payroll team as well as the rest of the HR staff, allowing more attention to be given to larger-picture initiatives and plans. The more times the payroll cycle is run, the better it becomes as AI learns and fine-tunes the procedure each time.

What does AI bring to the HR’s table?

Instead of relying on preconceived instructions and decision pathways, AI employs machines that have been trained to achieve outcomes by using data rather than prior rules.

AI-based programs or engines are still in the early stages of development. They can grow and mature with more data as they learn. However, AI engines must be trained on appropriate data to be useful. Consider how chatbots have improved in terms of accuracy since their inception. Chatbots that are AI-enabled learn from the questions people ask and then give more accurate results in response.

“Actionable AI” is a phrase that refers to how data may be converted into effective results. It examines hundreds of millions of transactions performed each year to discover patterns. These predictions and personalized recommendations are based on the findings. The underlying concept behind the “See-Sense-Act” framework converts important data indicators into intelligent products and services that continually improve.

What makes AI such a great tool for human resources?

The potential of AI is enormous, and it’s critical to understand its influence. HR departments can utilize the appropriate technology to enhance jobs, minimize expenses, and manually execute activities that are not feasible.

Artificial intelligence and human resources combination aid businesses by taking significant responsibilities, such as employee benefits. AI also relieves some of the computational strain so that you may concentrate on your most important bottom line: people.

According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the human resources advantage of AI includes better employee engagement and loyalty. According to a recent study by Gartner, an alarming number of employees are not taking full advantage of their health benefits. AI has what it takes to address these issues for HR.

Employees can make benefits decisions that are more appropriate for their own or family needs by utilizing Actionable AI. An AI-driven HR solution can be used to target employees eligible for a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). It also increases employee engagement and usage by providing information on how and when to appeal to individuals and what information to provide.

AI disrupts HR management

One of the most significant advantages of AI in HR is making real-time decisions based on pre-existing algorithms. This, in turn, leads to automated HR procedures that are enhanced but also amplified, resulting in greater efficiency and better customer experiences.

Talent acquisition

The first introduction to artificial intelligence and human resources management is in many businesses’ recruitment and talent acquisition procedures. Candidate screening, scheduling interviews, and even responding to questions have all been better-accomplished thanks to AI.

The time it takes for businesses to find new employees can be cut dramatically with AI techniques and the time HR would have spent on menial administrative chores like maintaining candidate databases.

Today, artificial intelligence assists talent acquisition efforts, resulting in nearly immediate and significant results for companies. This, in addition to saving that all-too-important time to hire, has led to increased productivity for those recruiting.

The combination of AI and human intelligence can truly improve the candidate experience. The time it takes to complete an application for recruitment processes is one of the most common complaints made by applicants. This form of AI integration can help reduce the time to do things manually and communicate more effectively.

Onboarding

The next stage in the talent acquisition process is to successfully onboard new hires to the business in a way that gets them off on the right foot. Both employee onboarding and a new hire onboarding can be automated by integrating AI into the process.

The integration may be used to cover off elements like new employees’ first day with corporate information and essential starting paperwork completion on their first day. A company’s values and expectations may be displayed on this surface. It can also highlight corporate rules and where to go for shared work areas, team members, and any weekly one-on-one training tasks.

The beneficial aspects of AI onboarding are that it may frequently be tailored to each employee’s needs and position in the company. Making the onboarding procedure more personalized and, as a result, more impactful.

Talent management

HR AI tools that are in the talent management space abound. Talent management is a bolt-on to talent acquisition, and it covers the procedures of retaining high-quality workers, improving their skills, and keeping them motivated to stay with the company.

The concept of AI talent management may use algorithms to predict an employee’s likelihood of leaving based on pay and reward, time in position, performance metrics, and overall attrition levels.

The advantages of this assistance include letting HR and personnel managers be aware of any potential issues before they become serious, allowing for responses to occur before matters get worse.

AI can also help improve in-house training and coaching, an important development in learning and development services. It’s possible to monitor new workers’ working experience and career paths using AI applications and databases in talent management. This aids HR in its development track planning for high potential individuals whose abilities might need additional investment.

HR administration

The Human Resources administration function is notorious for how time-consuming it is. Time-consuming administrative tasks, such as holiday pay, attendance monitoring, performance data, and timesheets management, can all be time-consuming. For example, in the case of holiday pay, employee requests for information are duplicated in the number of times they are responded to.

However, this isn’t where the administration of HR Management ends. Data gathering and reporting, on everything from employee monitoring to salary and pay information and a team and individual performance rankings, are all part of HR Management.

Although jobs involving data gathering are not going away anytime soon, AI promises to reduce the time to complete them. Effective automation may also have a beneficial impact on the time it takes to do these activities.

Learning & development

Both individuals and their careers and organizations in which they participate to benefit from continuous learning and improvement. The difficulty, however, is that skills have a far shorter shelf life than in the past. This is when AI in learning and development can truly provide value, with personalized learning paths enhanced to the learner’s requirements, conversational user interfaces, and analytics for e-learning as some of the key impact areas.

HR L&D professionals are aware that each individual has their preferred learning style, and AI advancements in learning programs are assisting businesses to spend less time assessing these styles and producing courses that fit a wide range of style preferences.

L&D can also benefit from AI-based adaptive learning programs, which modify instruction programs as the student learns. Beneficial value addition to l&d in any size company.

The future for artificial intelligence and human resources

AI will increasingly be linked to HR activities. Employers and employees will both rely on AI in various ways and interact with it daily. This opens up an infinite number of applications for artificial intelligence. HR executives may use AI throughout their company’s whole IT infrastructure.

Artificial Intelligence allows for significant insights into massive quantities of data that were not previously accessible. Human resource executives may now make knowledgeable, equitable, and correct employment selections based on facts rather than instinct.

AI can personalize an employee’s entire benefits experience, from new-hire onboarding to enrolling and using healthcare benefits, optimizing the user journey and providing better results.

AI-powered personalization engines may alter messaging to fit when we know more about our customers, employees, and their needs and goals. As a result, every employee’s experience will be unique.

The common usage cases for big data and employees usually stops at HR and recruiting. However, recent news has sparked interest in the dark uses of data in the workplace. Until recently, the biggest concern about data collection was whether Target would find out you were pregnant, or you would receive obnoxious targeted ads. For all of the positive ways big data can strengthen a company, there are also several downsides.

Employee and Health Tracking For Darker Purposes

It recently came to light that several major companies don’t just track employee health—they know when employees might be getting sick, or are looking to have a baby. Companies like Walmart and J.P. Morgan were cited in a report by the Wall Street Journal for using data to try to save money on employee health. Using third party data companies, businesses can plot data points that indicate what will cost them money, and what will save them money. When it was revealed that 30% of Walmart employees who received second opinions on pricy back surgeries opt not to receive surgery, it became a point of interest. By devising methods to speak with employees about “alternatives” or getting second opinions, Walmart knew they would money. The goal of such data-driven programs is not better well-being, but money saving. Hence why this second example has been splattered all over the press.

Data analysts have also plotted points that indicate when female employees may soon become pregnant. They not only scan insurance claims to locate women who have stopped filling birth-control prescriptions, but they also check for fertility-related search histories. Comparing that data against more basic information like age can determine with great accuracy an impending pregnancy. Questions of “will they fire me if they find out I’m pregnant?” are not uncommon among employees, particularly in the US. Despite existing laws intended to protect pregnant women, knowing that employers are tracking pregnancy might not just be strange, but a massive source of stress. James Hodge, a public health law and ethics professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, describes some of the effects this might cause:

“If [an employer] originally thought that 15% of the women in its employee base may become pregnant, but data shows it’s closer to 30%, that could lead an employer to say we cannot hire as many female employees this year because we can’t afford them being out for family leave.”

The true power of big data is not the ability to predict small instances, like one woman becoming pregnant, but trends, like the one described above. Of course, company’s are going to want to use data to get the best information available, and make the best decisions for the business. It is no surprise that initiatives like health tracking to save money now exist. The question is what to do about it. Whether data is being used for the good of the employees or the employers will involve a thin line. Lockheed Martin specializes in a number of areas, including data analytics. While their LM Wisdom brochure sports crime scenes, yellow police tape, and a reference to the Mafia, they have also used their data powers to assist Walmart track employees. The 2012 Black Friday strike at Walmarts in the US apparently did much more than just rattle the cage. Many of the employees were not surprised that they were tracked, but the presence of a company like Lockheed Martin put a very different spin on the situation. In the words of one activist: “We’re artists, not ISIS”

Your Boss May Know You’re Going to Quit Before You Do

Big data is being used to recruit employees that are likely to stay longer. The story of Xerox’s 20% reduction in attrition thanks to algorithm-driven recruiting is the poster child of this method. Unfortunately, the other side of the coin involves analyzing existing employees to find seeds of discontent or signs that they will be leaving soon. One software company called Workday does just that. Their director of data science even told the New York Times, “we’re surprised how accurately we can predict someone will leave a job.” For many, the decision of an employee to quit can seem surprising. It’s a mystery, and there’s only so much one can do to foresee it. Data companies, however, note that there are actually several signs. People tend to leave in “patterns,” and using data to decipher those patterns could save everyone heartache. One positive outcome may be that, the next time you’re planning to walk out, an employer will step in and offer you a raise or better benefits. By comparing what salaries, habits, and needs a person has, maybe data can really help employees. However, when the chief strategy officer of workforce analytics company Visier remarks “we know what benefits they have, we know what they’re claiming in benefits and when,” employees might be left wondering whether that data is going to help them, or hurt them.

One fact employees and employers can agree on is that big data is here to stay. Trying to turn back the clock on how resources are managed and measured would be a nearly impossible task. Even if employees agree to allow parts of their life to be tracked, that does not mean they feel safe with it. Research has shown that employees are wary of large scale, intensive data mining. These kinds of programs lead both to legal and moral questions about privacy, as well as issues in job satisfaction and workplace well-being. Much of the industry is still unregulated in this sense, and employees are highly aware of that fact. Even when an employee chooses not to opt-in to data collection services, data collected from other sources can still be applied to them. Once algorithms are developed, it becomes much easier to turn an employee into a statistic. The onus is laid entirely on companies to show their employees that data is being collected and used in a reasonable way, otherwise the “creepy” factor of workplace data collection might cause major disruption one day.

Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to never miss out!

Follow @DataconomyMedia