How can AI benefit your employees?
Imagine having a workforce that no longer experiences the drudgery of boring routine tasks like sifting through mountains of historical data or unsuitable resumes. Not only will AI allow your employees to focus on more meaningful tasks, but it can also elevate their levels of job satisfaction. Here are some of the ways that AI improves employee experience.
- Removes the mundane: Many jobs involve tasks that could be described as monotonous as they are often repetitive or require little thinking. Thankfully, AI can take care of these humdrum chores, freeing up your employees to concentrate on activities that demand higher-order thinking and creativity, make a greater impact, and result in elevated levels of accomplishment.
- Tackles the tedious: Some tasks require huge volumes of time and effort. Data analysis, for instance, is one of these necessary but burdensome duties. Using AI in your data management strategy can help. After all, AI can synthesize data quickly and easily, converting stacks of indiscernible numbers into useful, intelligible facts.
- Screens potential hires: One of the most laborious tasks your hiring team endures is sifting through stacks of job applications. Thanks to AI, your recruiters can access a selection of tools designed to link employers with suitable hires and improve how you screen and manage candidates.
- Provides personal and professional development: AI is a great source of knowledge, making it an ideal learning tool. Whether you want to know the difference between a sweet potato and a yam or you need to understand Baye’s Theorem, AI will be able to provide the answer. Likewise, it can impart detailed information on many business topics, providing your employees with one-on-one instruction and equipping them for new and exciting projects and roles—further illustrating how AI and employee engagement can be correlated.
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Are Canadian companies adopting AI?
If your company decides to incorporate AI into its day-to-day operations, you will not be alone. According to Statistics Canada, one in every seven of the nation’s businesses use or plan to use generative AI. This source adds that some industries are more likely to utilize AI than others, with information and culture organizations leading the pack. Professional, scientific, and technical services placed second, while finance and insurance ranked third. As more AI tools are developed and enhanced, it is expected that more companies will adopt AI technology.
A commonly held fear is that AI will replace the workforce it was designed to help. If this is one of the reasons your company has been holding off on this decision, you may be pleased to hear that many of these fears are proving to be unfounded. Statistics Canada reports that 84.9% of organizations that implemented AI in the delivery of services or production of goods saw no reduction in employment. Furthermore, the majority of companies within the sectors that boast the highest levels of AI use also experienced no change to their staffing levels.
How can you incorporate AI into your organization?
Now that you’ve explored the multiple ways AI and employee engagement are connected, it’s time to look at how you can introduce it to your company. Here are a few AI tools that can strengthen employee experience:
- Project management: If your employees tackle multiple projects simultaneously or your projects involve many people, your organization could benefit from using an AI-enhanced project management program. Team members can assign duties, monitor progress, collaborate, and formulate their own to-do lists more effectively thanks to AI enhancement.
- Virtual assistants: While many employees long to have a personal assistant, this isn’t feasible in the real world. There is a viable option though. AI virtual assistants can perform a variety of tasks, including scheduling appointments, setting reminders, translating foreign languages, taking minutes at meetings, and much more.
- Writing: While many argue that AI has limitations when it comes to the nuances of language or weeding out false information, AI-powered writing tools can create rough drafts, product descriptions, and social media posts while handling spelling and grammar checks nicely. Some can even learn and mimic your brand’s unique style.
- Chatbots: If your client-facing workforce is feeling overtaxed, chatbots can help by tackling the tasks that can be done without human interaction. With AI processing and tracking orders, your employees can focus on sales and more complex customer issues.
Related: How to use AI in business?
How can you protect against the pitfalls of AI?
Adopting a burgeoning technology can come with risks, but there are ways to negate them. When it comes to AI, here are a few important considerations:
Seek employee feedback
If you wish to increase employee engagement, this step could prove significant. Before introducing AI to your organization, seek input from your staff. By getting your entire company involved in the process, you can better identify what parts of each role could benefit from AI. This feedback will also help pinpoint what AI products are best suited for the job.
Furthermore, by involving your employees, you can assuage any fears or concerns associated with AI. By making your workforce partners in this initiative, you can show them that the adoption of AI will enhance employee experience and not lead to reduced staffing needs.
Recognize AI’s limitations
AI is merely a tool and cannot match the capabilities of the human mind in many areas. It has been said that AI lacks originality, intuitiveness, creative thinking, and good old common sense. Without a moral compass, AI does not have the ability to make ethical decisions and, instead, relies heavily on data. This reliance on data can present biased results, especially if the data is faulty.
Another concern that AI raises is the threat of cyber attacks and its inherent inability to adapt to change. Over time, these systems could also become degraded or outdated. Your company will need to learn how to responsibly use AI-powered tools.
By understanding the limitations and possible problems associated with AI, your organization will be better positioned to use these products appropriately and introduce protocols to handle any problems that may arise.
Related: AI Bias in Recruitment: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead
Prepare for the learning curve
When introducing any new technology, it is necessary to equip your employees with the knowledge and training to use it effectively. The same is true of AI. Prepare your team for the AI future and how it will impact your organization—including their individual roles.
Bridging the AI skills gap can be done in several ways, including in-house workshops, mentorships with team AI experts, and webinars or online learning. Depending on the size of your organization, you may wish to create your own learning modules focussed on AI. And, most importantly, employees would greatly benefit from live training, allowing them to learn in a “trial-and-error” fashion.
When it comes to introducing AI to your organization, it is important to fully understand how it can both benefit your company and present significant challenges. With careful planning, organization-wide involvement, and the right AI products, you could increase employee engagement and improve the overall employee experience.
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