Kalderon HR

In the current world that we live in, busy, demanding, time-focused, and competitive, it is tempting to consider that Artificial Intelligence could simply take over the role of an HR professional.

Need a policy? Get AI to write it. Got a complaint or a grievance, get AI to consider it? Need to prepare training? Run it through an AI prompt.

There is no doubt that AI has a place in HR, but will AI wholly replace HR? And if you do decide to use it, will decisions become automated and cold, could recruitment become biased or opaque? Could your staff feel threatened by its use?

Businesses clearly see the advantages in using AI on a daily basis, from finding documents, organising diaries, developing presentations, and small businesses are always looking for ways in which they can run with cost efficient considerations – so why not simply use AI to be your HR go to?

For small businesses this is the chance to understand what HR does for you, and how AI can support it. Certainly AI can produce a policy template for you to work with, but understanding the nuances and pitfalls that come with policy creating is something that only comes from understanding Employment Law from a human perspective. For example, there are times in policy where ambiguity is very helpful to both the employer and employee, but there will other occasions where clarity is of the essence. This is where AI will struggle because deciding where ambiguity protects flexibility, (and where clarity prevents harm,) requires human judgement grounded in the business.

AI is a tool for HR – not a substitute for judgement, empathy and accountability.

AI is integral now for HR professionals, as AI can support high volume repeatable work, such as support with ensuring recruitment documents are sent and followed up, pulling data and developing creative analysis, targeted job advertising, payroll information, CV screening and interview transcription as cited by the CIPD. However it can also help identify legislation quicker, citing references so that HR personnel utilise their working time more efficiently and effectively.

HR will always require human interaction – the very reason why it is called ‘Human Resources’. Supporting difficult conversations, mediation, strategic considerations regarding the future, changing culture in organisations – and really understanding people.

Considerations for you as employers and business owners when creating your own policies or boundaries surrounding AI, are about reassuring your staff regarding the use of AI. Be transparent what it is used for and what it isn’t; that AI supports drafts and administration, but humans will always make the decisions. Human interaction is vital in HR, culture change, trust, ethics and considering complex cases to note a few reasons. In fact, in this current climate of hybrid working and AI, it is almost even more important to ensure that you have a human face within HR for you and your employees.

AI can be brilliant at the administration that slows HR down — drafting, summarising, structuring, and searching. But HR is still a human discipline. People don’t experience work as a spreadsheet; they experience it through trust, fairness, dignity and relationships.

If you want to know more about Kalderon HR and how I can help support your business then please reach out. Alternatively you can subscribe to receive articles when they are published.