[UK and Ireland] Four in five HR professionals use workplace AI

New research has revealed that senior business leaders are using a range of AI tools to save their organisations money in these challenging times, however, further education and training are needed to reassure employees and enable businesses to fully embrace the benefits of AI, HR Grapevine reports.

HR software company Personio surveyed 500 HR decision-makers across the UK and Ireland.

It found that AI innovation is currently being led from the top of UK organisations, with 81 per cent of HR decision-makers reporting enthusiasm for AI adoption from senior leadership. 

But although overall movement is coming from the top down, younger employees are reportedly the fastest to adapt to AI’s rise. Seventy-eight per cent of HR professionals aged 25-34 currently use some type of AI-powered tool. The figure drops to 69 per cent among those aged 55+, indicating a generational AI-adoption trend.

While the job market remains fragile and budgets continue to be under scrutiny, AI-powered technologies offer businesses an opportunity to quantify tangible cost benefits. Of those HR managers already using AI tools of any kind, 91 per cent have reportedly either made or expect to make cost savings within their departments.

Among other motivations for investing in AI was efficiency, with 59 per cent of respondents stating that AI will help them save time on HR processes. Making admin tasks such as onboarding new employees, payroll, timesheets, administration of benefits and learning and development more efficient, gives HR teams more time to focus on other aspects of their job, including talent acquisition, ultimately improving the organisation’s bottom line.

Yet, despite this seemingly positive outlook, a lack of education and fears around job losses could be holding AI adoption back among employees. A little over half (51 per cent) cite job loss as a significant challenge connected to AI adoption. Reflecting these concerns, 97 per cent of HR decision-makers say training will be needed to successfully use generative AI for HR processes.

Pete Cooper - Director of People, Partners & Analytics at Personio - told HR Grapevine, “When computers first arrived in workplaces, employees had to learn how to use Excel. Educating employees about AI is no different. The introduction of AI must go hand-in-hand with training and education, both for HR departments as well as employees. By arming the workforce with the skills they need to use AI responsibly and effectively, we can turn their fears around job loss into confidence and improve the overall employee experience.”

Tom Cheesewright - Applied Futurist - said, “I spend a lot of my time reassuring people that AI cannot do your job. A job is a complex collection of tasks. AI can do *some* of your work, it cannot do your whole job — or anyone's. Instead, using AI you can do a lot of things better, and stop doing some of the tasks that you don't enjoy. Let the robot do the work! The more technology we introduce and the more we use AI, the more we’re going to value people and the qualities that are uniquely human.”

Source: HR Grapevine

(Quotes via original reporting)

New research has revealed that senior business leaders are using a range of AI tools to save their organisations money in these challenging times, however, further education and training are needed to reassure employees and enable businesses to fully embrace the benefits of AI, HR Grapevine reports.

HR software company Personio surveyed 500 HR decision-makers across the UK and Ireland.

It found that AI innovation is currently being led from the top of UK organisations, with 81 per cent of HR decision-makers reporting enthusiasm for AI adoption from senior leadership. 

But although overall movement is coming from the top down, younger employees are reportedly the fastest to adapt to AI’s rise. Seventy-eight per cent of HR professionals aged 25-34 currently use some type of AI-powered tool. The figure drops to 69 per cent among those aged 55+, indicating a generational AI-adoption trend.

While the job market remains fragile and budgets continue to be under scrutiny, AI-powered technologies offer businesses an opportunity to quantify tangible cost benefits. Of those HR managers already using AI tools of any kind, 91 per cent have reportedly either made or expect to make cost savings within their departments.

Among other motivations for investing in AI was efficiency, with 59 per cent of respondents stating that AI will help them save time on HR processes. Making admin tasks such as onboarding new employees, payroll, timesheets, administration of benefits and learning and development more efficient, gives HR teams more time to focus on other aspects of their job, including talent acquisition, ultimately improving the organisation’s bottom line.

Yet, despite this seemingly positive outlook, a lack of education and fears around job losses could be holding AI adoption back among employees. A little over half (51 per cent) cite job loss as a significant challenge connected to AI adoption. Reflecting these concerns, 97 per cent of HR decision-makers say training will be needed to successfully use generative AI for HR processes.

Pete Cooper - Director of People, Partners & Analytics at Personio - told HR Grapevine, “When computers first arrived in workplaces, employees had to learn how to use Excel. Educating employees about AI is no different. The introduction of AI must go hand-in-hand with training and education, both for HR departments as well as employees. By arming the workforce with the skills they need to use AI responsibly and effectively, we can turn their fears around job loss into confidence and improve the overall employee experience.”

Tom Cheesewright - Applied Futurist - said, “I spend a lot of my time reassuring people that AI cannot do your job. A job is a complex collection of tasks. AI can do *some* of your work, it cannot do your whole job — or anyone's. Instead, using AI you can do a lot of things better, and stop doing some of the tasks that you don't enjoy. Let the robot do the work! The more technology we introduce and the more we use AI, the more we’re going to value people and the qualities that are uniquely human.”

Source: HR Grapevine

(Quotes via original reporting)