With advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacting many sectors, employers with valuable technical skills can feel threatened by unexpected changes to their existing roles. However, today’s companies must appear relevant by embracing emerging tech to stay ahead of competition and can harness AI capabilities to streamline multiple areas of their businesses.
With one in four companies reported to be replacing workers with AI tools, HR professionals are urged to combat employee’s fear of AI’s wave of change and disruption. Reassuring staff and business leaders about the value of augmenting AI with existing technical skill sets can, therefore, help to upskill and retain talent as well as boost business success.
This article explores how HR leaders can positively introduce and recruit, onboarding, training, and employee retention – ultimately benefiting both the business and technical talent.
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Embrace AI change without disrupting employees
According to reports, 18% of employees are inclined to leave their job if an organization changes their internal operations. Studies have shown that tech professionals choose organizations that value IT and their contributions. Rather than being the reason for change, which is what AI adoption can be viewed as, IT workers prefer to drive change, have a clear technology strategy, and see IT as the enabler that provides the business with the key to make a difference.
As AI continues to advance, many companies are exploring ways to augment their human resources teams and processes with AI tools and capabilities. While some may view AI as a threat that could potentially replace jobs, HR professionals have an opportunity to promote the benefits of augmenting talent and human expertise with AI. With a thoughtful approach, AI can become an ally rather than an adversary.
Implementing AI can understandably cause anxiety among employees who are unsure of how their roles may change. HR leaders need to proactively address these concerns and communicate how AI will aim to empower employees, not replace them. HR should provide opportunities for employees to give input on AI and voice concerns if there are any changes in their job description as a direct result of AI’s introduction. As well supporting employees adjusting to a role change, it’s also important to start small with pilot AI projects, gather feedback, and make adjustments before rolling out more widely.
Augment human strengths by harnessing AI’s capabilities
Implementing AI tech can make roles more efficient so it’s important to encourage talented employees not be put off by AI but be encouraged to embrace it. Depending on the role within that technology company, identify ways you can augment AI tools and apply them into existing roles.
With the world facing an increasing tech skills gap and AI advances a reason for this trend, HR professionals should look to retain talented tech employees. One way is to harness AI capabilities to help employees to work smarter, automate repetitive tasks and focus on more strategic priorities. However, it’s crucial that the implementation of AI maintains a human focus and one that empowers employees and the business as a whole. Maintaining transparency and an employee-centric mindset can help businesses embrace AI, without alienating valued talent. The most successful AI adopters will be those that put people first.
Free up talent for complex tech roles
AI may free up time for more strategic thinking and creativity. Share examples of employees moving into new roles. Highlight new opportunities for staff and retain talented technical staff to focus on complex areas of the business with increased responsibility for identifying cyber security incidents instead of relying on third-party suppliers.
AI is an opportunity for HR professionals to show business leaders how to free up tech teams to focus on more meaningful and innovative work. AI can also enhance collaboration between technical staff by automating certain coordination activities. Additionally, AI is positioned as a promising new capability tech professionals can leverage in their roles – an exciting opportunity to upskill.
Position AI to upskill
By promoting AI as an amplifier – not a replacement – of human skills, HR can play a key role in easing fears, highlighting new opportunities, and positioning their company as an attractive destination for top tech talent. In a recent study by LinkedIn, 93% of applicants expect to be trained and upskilled in their role at work.
With the right approach, AI can become a recruitment and retention advantage and the goal of managers is to communicate that augmenting AI into the current technical eco-system of a business is a positive and relevant learning opportunity for them.
When introducing any new technology like AI, it’s understandable that employees may initially see it as disruptive or as a potential replacement for technical roles. However, HR leaders have a prime opportunity to reframe the narrative around AI as an empowering opportunity.
Lead by example by using AI tools as an HR executive by framing AI tools as collaborative digital teammates. This approach can help rally tech talent around its implementation. AI can actually become a retention tool to attract and inspire top technical talent seeking to work with cutting-edge technology. Inform employees will help employees adapt to change and by refreshing training, and educating staff and setting up continual support systems, HR leaders can keep talent onboard.
With the correct change-management strategies, HR professionals can ease in AI adoption and cement the view that AI resources are here to stay and while this creates change, AI’s capabilities and its limitations are fundamental for future business success.
Demonstrate relevance and business drive to employees
For the wider business, it’s important for HR professionals to work with managers and business leaders to foster AI engagement in a way that helps to retain talented tech personnel plus boost business. The adoption and integration of AI across the technical side of any company can help businesses appear onboard, showing they are relevant and able to embrace current industry changes and advances in tech.
In turn, this proves to staff that, as a business, they foster change and promote growth internally/externally. Here is a company that is committed to supporting talented employees with tech training and the opportunity to learn new and relevant digital skills. By augmenting technical employees and expanding roles and responsibility, the business can benefit and talented staff are more likely to stay.
Conclusion
As AI capabilities continue to rapidly advance, HR professionals have a strategic opportunity to get ahead of the curve and adopt AI technology in a way that engages, manages and retains technical talent. By taking a thoughtful, employee-centric approach to integrating AI – focused on augmentation over automation – HR can pave the way for AI to become a collaborative ally.
With proactive communication, change management, training, and positioning AI as an empowering opportunity, concerns can be addressed and employees can build trust in AI as a partner. This will not only boost business performance but also make a company a more attractive destination for skilled technical professionals. Forward-thinking HR leaders who embrace AI as a talent amplifier today will gain a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining the tech workforce of tomorrow.
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