AI has come to HR. Is HR Ready?

From marketing material, to writing blog articles, to helping developers write code, to generating images - yes, the image for this article was generated by AI - AI has permeated all sorts of professions. There's no reason to believe that HR will be any different. If you're an HR professional thinking that your role won't be impacted in some way, I'd urge you to think again. If you're an HR professional who embraces AI and is curious to learn how you can leverage it in your role, this article may be the kickstart you need.

In this article I'll cover a couple of quick detailed examples of AI in HR, and list some potential other areas AI could be used. So, let's get started.

If you're a regular reader of my posts, you know I am a strong advocate of HR Transformation and innovation. I've been having fun playing around with ChatGPT and other generative AI products recently, when a thought occurred to me. What would I do if I was a time poor manager with too many year end reviews to write. Could I short cut the process and use AI? Before you send me indignant replies about the ethics of managers doing this, I should point out that I'm not advocating this approach, I'm simply demonstrating that it is possible to augment (not replace)performance reviews using AI. For my test, I put in a simple request to generate a year end performance review for an employee that meets expectations. The response took less than 2 minutes to generate.

Here's the unedited response:

"𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗱

Overall, the employee's performance met expectations during the past year. They demonstrated a solid understanding of their role and were able to complete tasks and projects in a timely manner. However, there is room for improvement in certain areas.

Strengths: Consistently met deadlines Demonstrated a good understanding of their role and responsibilities Showed initiative in completing tasks and projects

Opportunities for Improvement: Could benefit from additional training or development in specific areas of their role. Could improve communication and collaboration with team members. Could benefit from setting clearer and more specific goals for themselves

Overall, the employee's performance met expectations, but there is room for improvement in specific areas. With additional training, development and goal setting, the employee can continue to grow and improve their performance."

For my next example I've generated a job posting for an HR Business Partner (HR BP) in financial services, again from a single sentence. We've all seen the vague and sometimes badly written job posts that go up on LinkedIn and other job boards. Here's the unedited response to my request to write a job post ad for an HR BP in Financial Services:

𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: 𝗛𝗥 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 - 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀

Company: [Company Name] Location: [City, State] Job Description:

We are seeking a highly experienced HR Business Partner to join our team at [Company Name]. As an HR Business Partner, you will be responsible for providing strategic and operational HR support to our financial services division. Key Responsibilities:

Partner with business leaders to develop and implement HR strategies that align with the overall goals of the organization.

Provide guidance and support on a wide range of HR-related issues, including talent management, employee relations, performance management, and succession planning

Act as a liaison between the HR department and the financial services division, ensuring effective communication and collaboration

Provide coaching and mentoring to managers and employees on a wide range of HR-related topics

Participate in the recruitment and selection process for the financial services division

Monitor and analyze HR metrics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement

Ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience as an HR Business Partner or similar role in a financial services company
• Strong understanding of HR best practices, laws and regulations
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build strong relationships with business leaders and employees at all levels
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proven track record of driving results and delivering value

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, as well as opportunities for growth and development within the organization. If you meet the qualifications and are interested in joining a dynamic and growing company, please submit your resume and cover letter for consideration.

What are your thoughts on how this could help harassed hiring managers, or hard pressed Talent Acquisition teams to write engaging job postings that attract talent?

These are only two examples of how AI can be used to enhance the work of HR. Here are some others:

1. Developing a competency matrix
2. Helping in the selection of an HRIS system
3. Developing analytics for KPI's
4. Writing progressive policies
5. Designing organisational structures
6. Producing an effective Employee Value Proposition
7. Clarifying aspects of employment law
8. Designing compensation plans

...and the list goes on.

So what do you think of the list, and what this will mean in the HR space as AI improves? What are the areas you can think of where AI can be used to enhance HR? Leave your insights, comments, smart remarks in the comments below.

While there are many areas AI can enhance HR, the challenge lies in HR coming to grips with the challenge of writing the appropriate prompts for the AI to interpret. That is a science unto itself. So much so that my next project -lets call it HR GPT - is to create a platform that makes it easy for HR to use generative AI to create useful output. If you would like to collaborate on the project, or be an early adopter when I do create something, let me know in the comments below.

#AIInHR #HRAI #HRTransformation #TalentAcquisition #HR #HRTech #OpenAI