Feedback from within my organization is that losing the human element is what people fear most. Human resources has human in it for a reason. While implementing AI will help immensely with menial tasks and admin, it's vital to keep lines of communication open. Offer open office hours, similar to an open door policy where employees can meet with you in person or online to maintain or build relationships.
To maintain the human touch amid AI adoption, companies need to understand their organizational capability strategy. Organizational capability is the intersection of people, processes, and systems. Companies should craft a digital strategy aligned with their business capability strategy. Having the Chief People Officer as a co-owner in this strategy is vital. In doing this, a robust digital strategy will encompass the human element. By utilizing AI to enhance the digital workplace experience, we create room for employees to exercise autonomy and informed decision-making. Equitable access to data empowers them, fostering better business outcomes. The true synergy lies in seamlessly integrating technology, and consistent processes, with the human touch.
My best advice to maintain the human touch is to be intentional in the areas where you choose to employ AI. Utilizing automation can enable you to have a more personal touch to your interactions with employees if you use it the right way. You achieve this by employing AI for the time-consuming tasks that are necessary for the business but don’t involve interactions with team members—things like data entry, payroll processing, routine benefits management, and similar types of tasks. By using AI for these functions, that frees up more time in the HR team’s day to engage with employees on a more personal level, whether that’s talking to employees about issues they’re having or focusing on integrating employee feedback to improve their overall experience. This is how we've approached our use of AI at Summit, and it's proven effective in finding that balance of operating as efficiently as possible without losing the "human" side of human resources.
One of the key aspects of success is maintaining strong connections built on trust, transparency and continually enhancing our interpersonal and communication skills. As leaders we must guide our teams in embracing and adapting to the ever-changing landscape that lies ahead. An important part of this process involves our own willingness to embrace AI as our ultimate co-collaborator. Recently I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the remarkable power of AI in supporting an HR team when I demonstrated how to leverage AI to create a new, customized program with global reach in a fraction of the time it would have taken through traditional means. By collaborating as a team and using AI we were able to conduct extensive research, gain access to global best practices, tap into valuable insights, explore relevant samples, and ensure that the program was inclusive and met the needs of their entire team. The outcome was positive, productive & powerful.
"Ai is already a part of HR, just through simple processes and the tools that are often shared to help employees. While it is still finding new ways to be integrated, it is important that we don’t allow it to become only form of HR support. While AI’s general help in learning, speed of understanding and ability to connect people with and in useful tools, it is inherently not human, and those with struggles are – we simply have to be able to approach problems with the nuances that they need, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but for safety of those involved. While HR deals with many facets, the one of looking of team wellbeing has to be seen as a of vital importance when it comes to keeping the humanity in it, otherwise team members could end up at best feeling not cared about or unsupported, or at worst, a generic AI response system could end up making them feel worse. Humans have to be at the centre of HR, or it just becomes basic resources, or BR if you will. "
Incorporating AI into HR practices doesn't mean losing the human touch. People leaders can maintain a human-centered approach by using AI to enhance HR processes, not replace them. For example, in my experience, we implemented an AI-powered chatbot to handle basic employee inquiries, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more complex and personalized issues. This allowed us to provide efficient responses while still prioritizing human interaction for critical matters, ensuring the human touch was maintained throughout the HR function.
AI is a tool that can help us do our jobs better, but we must remember to keep the focus on people. For example, I once worked at a company that was trying to use AI to make HR processes more efficient. They implemented an AI chatbot to answer common HR questions. The problem was that the chatbot didn’t understand the subtleties of human language, and it couldn’t provide the kind of support that a human HR representative could. The employees didn’t feel like their questions were being answered, and some of them even stopped using the chatbot altogether. To solve this problem, the company decided to use AI in a different way. Instead of using AI to replace human HR representatives, they decided to use AI to augment them. They developed a new AI-powered tool that provides HR representatives with real-time access to company policies and procedures, and it helps them generate personalized responses to employee questions.
We've seen a lot of companies try to automate HR, and it's not working. Companies are trying to get rid of their HR departments and just let AI handle everything, but that's not going to work. People aren't machines, they're people. With AI, you can't get the human touch—you need people who can think outside the box and come up with new solutions. You need people who can see what isn't there yet and make it happen. You need people who can help employees grow, support them through difficult times, and have empathy for their needs and concerns. AI can do some things better than humans can—it's more efficient at processing data and making decisions based on that data. But when it comes down to building relationships with employees or helping them solve problems in their lives outside of work? That's where humans have an edge over machines.
It's a real concern, and I think it's not entirely unfounded. I think the way to address it is by being really thoughtful about how we're using AI. We need to make sure that we're using it in a way that makes sense for our employees, and that they feel like they're being treated in a way that is fair and equitable. I think the other thing is to be thoughtful about how we communicate with employees when we are implementing new processes or making changes to existing ones. If there are going to be changes, we have to be transparent about them—and explain why it's happening and what kind of impact it might have on them. And finally, I think it's important for HR managers themselves to be aware of what's happening in their organization from a technology perspective, so they can help guide their teams through any changes.
Whilst integrating AI into HR practices offers efficiencies and data-driven insights, it does pose the risk of dehumanising the very essence of Human Resources. To me it is about striking a balance between AI and irreplaceable "human touch" that can maintain empathy, understanding and cultural cohesion. For example, somebody recently promoted an AI recruitment selection tool. It could detect, amongst other things, whether a candidate was overweight and auto-exclude them for jobs where fitness was important! It's frightening this could be a predetermined criterion for AI and shows why people should be involved in assessing human factors that a machine callously disregards.
In the best cases, AI should enable humans to spend more time on human-centric activities. Instead of answering stock questions about healthcare co-pays, tax withholding, and name changes, HR leaders can focus on the very in-depth issues where customization and human connection are required. I believe we will find HR departments more socially and intelligently engaged with their teams throughout the next decade.
general manager at 88stacks
Answered 3 years ago
In the rush to adopt AI in HR, preserving the "human touch" is crucial. One specific example from my professional experience is in the recruitment process. While we use AI for initial resume screening and skills assessments, we've also implemented video interviews that allow candidates to showcase their personalities. These video interviews not only help us assess qualifications but also gauge cultural fit and interpersonal skills. Additionally, we've incorporated personalized, AI-driven feedback for candidates, providing insights on areas for improvement. This approach ensures that technology enhances rather than replaces the human element, maintaining a personalized and empathetic candidate experience while leveraging AI's efficiency gains.
Employee-led implementation is essential to incorporating new technology. When workers feel like AI is supplanting their jobs, they dismiss its value out of hand in order to maintain their positions. These employees need to see for themselves that their jobs are not in danger of becoming obsolete. Let them decide which robust AI features they want to include in their workflows—don't mandate AI for its own sake. In time, workers will see that AI is a tool for them to use, rather than something the higher ups want. That creates a more holistic AI experience that works for everyone.
Balancing AI Adoption with the Human Touch in HR "As the Director of Marketing & Technology at JetLevel Aviation, I recognize the importance of maintaining the 'human touch' in HR amidst the growing adoption of AI. In my previous role in HR, we integrated AI-driven applicant tracking systems to streamline recruitment processes. To ensure the human touch was preserved, we implemented personalized follow-ups and interviews for candidates who met certain criteria, rather than relying solely on automated selections. This approach allowed us to combine the efficiency of AI with the personalized care that candidates deserve, striking a balance that enhanced our HR practices."
Use it as an aide, not as a replacement. If you want to keep the "human" in human resources, then it's important not to view AI as a substitute for an actual worker. AI is best used as a support system for your staff. It can help sort through resumes, identify candidates for extra consideration or even sort them based on level of experience. But the final review and say should always be down to a human worker. This will prevent too much digitization from making the hiring process all about the algorithm.
People management is a critical function in every company and people leaders are feeling the pressure to deliver results while maintaining a human touch with employees. In my experience, one way to maintain a human touch while introducing AI is to keep the conversation going. For example, when using HR automation to send out a mass email to employees, consider using the automation as a way to start a conversation. The automation can alert a people leader that there are employees who have not yet responded to an important announcement or change. The people leader can then reach out to the employees who did not respond and ask them if they received the email, if they have any questions, or if there is anything that can be done to make the process easier for them. In this example, the people leader is using the automation to do the heavy lifting but still maintaining a human touch with the employees.
Use AI as a Support Tool: From my experience in HR, it's important to keep the human touch even when AI is being used. In the hiring process, we often use AI to quickly sort through a large number of resumes. But we put a lot of emphasis on the human side by having HR pros lead the final candidate interviews and evaluations. This makes sure that our hiring choices don't just rely on algorithms, but also take into account the subtle qualities and cultural fit that can only be seen in person. By using AI to help with HR jobs in a smart way, we can improve efficiency while keeping the focus on people when making decisions. This method not only helps candidates have good experiences, but it also leads to good hires. This shows how important it is to balance technology with the human touch in HR practices.
Mentorship programs play a crucial role in preserving the human touch in HR. By fostering interpersonal relationships and knowledge sharing, HR professionals can offer a more personalized and empathetic approach. For example, in my previous role as an HR manager, I implemented a mentorship program where experienced HR professionals guided junior colleagues. This allowed for valuable experiences and insights to be passed down, enhancing the human touch in HR practices. Mentors provided guidance, support, and shared their expertise, ensuring that the emotional and personal aspects of HR remained at the forefront.
Personalized Onboarding: In our HR department, we employed AI to automate administrative activities throughout the onboarding process, such as paperwork and training courses. We did, however, appreciate the significance of human interaction in greeting new staff. Face-to-face or virtual meetings were organized by HR professionals to introduce new hires to their team, answer questions, and provide mentorship, assuring a pleasant welcome.
Balance your use of AI by getting regular feedback from employees. A great way for HR professionals to maintain the "human touch" of the field is to put out regular surveys to employees, soliciting feedback about any issues with or concerns with the use of AI. These surveys can help HR isolate opportunities for improvement. That said, it's crucial that businesses act on the feedback directly. For example, if you use AI to analyze that survey data, ensure you have open forums and 1-on-1s with human staffers to ensure employees know their voices were heard and valued.