It’s no secret that generative AI is revolutionizing how we work. Researchers have equated it to when electricity was first introduced into the workplace. If history is any indication, that means we could see significant disruption to standard practices, roles, and responsibilities.
But the good news is that this shift couldn’t have come at a better time — we need AI to help us fill critical labor gaps.
According to United Nations research, working age populations have already peaked and are projected to decline through 2050. Generative AI is one of the best hopes for filling those gaps, but getting there means we must change the conversation from how we survive to how we thrive.
Thriving in the age of AI requires the right data and focus. It means developing an HR and people strategy based on credible benchmarks for culture and workforce activity, and then using that information to foster trust with your employees and improve the overall employee experience. It’s about employing generative AI to support all employees — from deskless workers and those on the front lines to people managers and leaders.
To learn more about the potential for generative AI to transform our workplaces, we sat down with Christa Degnan Manning, Research and Strategy Fellow at UKG. Here’s what Christa had to say.
1. We know AI isn’t new. So, what’s already working?
It’s not new — at UKG, we’ve been developing it since the ’90s. We’ve used it for scheduling optimization, retention prediction, natural language processing for survey and sentiment analysis, bias detection, and document classification. The key now is to broaden who has access to the technology. Soon, you won’t have to be an expert to engage with AI; it’ll be an active participant in daily operations at all levels of the employee experience and will be easily accessible in all roles.
2. Is generative AI a bust or a breakthrough for the HR and workforce management space?
Breakthrough, for sure, but it requires a thoughtful, ethical response to drive meaningful value. The bottom line is that you need access to the largest collection of high-quality, trusted data you can possibly connect with to succeed — and that data must teach the AI what the standards of operating a great workplace really are. And we need to ensure there is transparency and explainability around methods and data standards so humans are kept in the loop and understand how to use AI in their decision-making.
We know from 30 years of Great Place To Work data what great workplace benchmarks are — great workplaces have the trust of the people that work there, inspire pride in those workers around the jobs they do, and create environments where employees enjoy the people they work with. And this leads to tangible business value, such as increased retention, productivity, flexibility, and ultimately profitability. The magic happens when you mix these standards with workforce activity metrics and HR records like performance trends, benefits, and promotions. That’s when you can get high-impact guidance.
3. How can generative AI really help people and workplaces?
When used correctly, generative AI can allow anyone at an organization to have a helpful conversation with their systems and the information captured within those systems. This conversational interaction makes HR and payroll system use and reporting and analytics far easier since it becomes a matter of asking questions rather than drop down lists and buttons or manipulating and visualizing data directly. Generative AI gets even more valuable when it can offer guidance and recommendations in connection with other AI machine learning capabilities. For example, it can help you develop frontline managers and leaders and improve the employee experience to drive organizational success. It can also uncover unique insights about a workforce and allow you to better serve their specific needs.
4. How do those benefits specifically impact frontline workers?
Imagine an exhausted nurse working a double shift. Instead of heading back to the nurses’ station, logging in to her account, searching manually for her time off balance, she could simply pull out her mobile device and ask, “Do I have enough time off left to request Friday off?” This saves time, boosts productivity, preserves wellbeing, and reduces frustration from complex processes.
That’s just the start. For frontline workers, if you’re using a best-in-class workforce management system, you have a huge advantage: numerical workforce activity data. That data gives generative AI tools the foundation to deliver insights and recommendations. For example, frontline employees can get proactive advice on open shifts, preferences, financial benefits, scheduling to prevent burnout, and other valuable, in-the-moment information. Frontline managers can ask simple questions and get instant answers, helping them focus on what matters for their teams, and improve their leadership strategies with meaningful benchmarks for team culture, career development, hiring practices, performance evaluation, and more.
5. Should people be worried about AI?
Not if they start with the goal of building trust and improving support for the workforce. Generative AI isn’t going to save you money and improve your strategic results because it replaces people — instead it’s going to do those things because it makes visible what you need to do to take your relationship with your people from good to great and enable them to succeed.
6. What concerns around bias and ethics should organizations be aware of with AI?
Like many generations of emerging AI tech before, generative AI requires a clear set of ethical standards to operate in a way that truly serves people, and as a result, improves the business. The quality of the data makes a big difference: Maintaining high standards for the data that feeds the AI means the tools will be less likely to arrive at incorrect or unethical solutions. Ensure that the technology partners you’re working with adhere to a clear and public set of ethical guidelines for how they engage with this technology — look for keywords like fairness, inclusiveness, transparency/interpretability, privacy/security standards, reliability, and safety.
7. What is HR’s role in AI?
HR has an incredible opportunity to enhance workforce performance and achieve significant efficiency and strategic impact through generative AI. By becoming the trust leader and the holder of the culture strategy for AI use, HR can empower employees to go beyond self-service to self-actualization in their daily work. Employees can see clear career paths and get coaching on reaching their career goals, while leaders can inspire their teams with relevant facts and instant visibility into available resources and appropriate policies that support them. They can apply data in a meaningful way across the workforce to answer questions and show people the impact they can have.
8. Are we replacing jobs or adding a teammate?
The reality is there are less workers available today than there were yesterday, and that’s going to continue. There are also fewer people of working age choosing to participate in the workforce. AI helps employers to overcome those macro trends by becoming an aide to existing employees to help retain them, augment their capabilities, and boost their performance. It can also help bring some hidden workers into the picture by revealing skills and competencies through non-traditional avenues and overcoming bias in recruiting processes. As a result, it might add more people back into the mix.
9. Should employers try to be the first to adopt generative AI in their respective industries?
Getting a handle on generative AI and identifying use cases quickly will pay bigger dividends if you get your organization in on the early side, but always remember to ensure you’re applying it in the right ways. We’re learning that the investment and growth with generative AI technology looks different than what we’re used to — the returns may not be as immediate, but if you invest early, you’ll likely see exponential value once it’s woven into your operations.
10. What’s one generative AI use case to focus on today?
Keep it simple. Look for ways AI can help you keep your eye on the ball strategically. For instance, see how you can use it to connect benchmarks from real employee feedback, like Great Place To Work’s millions of employee responses, to your organization’s specific workforce activity trends to build cultures of trust and belonging and uncover what greatness really looks like for your specific organization.
An example of this would be a senior leader being able to ask something like “how can I improve retention?” directly in their HR technology platform and receiving a response that captures both what’s happening right now in the workforce and how those results stack up against what retention looks like at the best workplaces in their industry. Beyond that, with the right generative AI solution involved, the leader should also receive curated options for how to improve retention, such as best practice articles, directional guidance, and pointers on what can be adjusted in their systems.
With those benchmarks under your belt, it enables you to lean in in the right ways for your people — deploying generative AI to nudge managers in the right directions, empowering employees to develop and grow, supporting and relieving pressure on frontline workers, and showing leadership how HR is moving the needle on strategic goals by deepening the focus on culture.
When you leverage high quality, trusted data and apply it ethically and transparently, organizations can use generative AI to foster a culture of trust, boost productivity, and create engaging, supportive environments for all employees. Generative AI can change our workplaces for the better, as long as we use it responsibly.
Are you ready to add AI to your workflow? Get Started with UKG’s Trusted AI Sidekick
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