Preparing for the Future of Work: HR Strategies for Navigating Automation and AI

1 - Embrace Strategic Workforce Planning
2 - Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
3 - Redefine Job Roles and Skills
4 - Embrace AI-powered Recruitment and Selection
5 - Enhance Employee Experience through AI
6 - Data-Driven Decision Making
7 - Cultivate Agility and Adaptibility
8 - Explore how Artificial Intelligence can help your hiring process

The future of work is rapidly evolving with the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). As HR professionals, it is crucial to stay ahead of these technological advancements and develop strategies that enable us to navigate this changing landscape successfully. In this blog post, we will explore key HR strategies for preparing your organization for the future of work, backed by compelling statistics from reputable sources.

Embrace Strategic Workforce Planning

According to a survey conducted by McKinsey, 60% of executives believe that up to half of their organization's workforce will be automated in the next five years. Strategic workforce planning is essential to identify the skills needed in the future and adapt the workforce accordingly.

Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning

Research by Deloitte reveals that 83% of organizations believe that reskilling the workforce is important or very important for success in the future. Embracing a culture of continuous learning helps employees acquire new skills and stay relevant in an increasingly automated workplace.

Redefine Job Roles and Skills

According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by automation, but 97 million new roles may emerge, requiring different skill sets. HR professionals must redefine job roles and focus on developing skills that complement automation and AI, such as critical thinking, creativity, and complex problem-solving. 

Embrace AI-powered Recruitment and Selection

LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends report reveals that 67% of talent professionals believe AI and automation will help reduce bias in the hiring process. AI-powered recruitment tools can streamline candidate screening, enhance candidate matching, and remove unconscious bias from decision-making, leading to more diverse and qualified hires.

This is a key motivator for candidates. Jobtrain's talent intelligence team learned that over 90% of candidates believe an effective equality, diversity, and inclusion policy is important.

Enhance Employee Experience through AI

A study by Gartner predicts that by 2023, 40% of employee-facing AI applications will have advanced to the stage of widespread deployment. Implementing AI technologies such as chatbots and virtual assistants can improve the employee experience by providing instant support, automating administrative tasks, and personalizing employee interactions.

Drive Data-Driven Decision-Making:

According to a survey conducted by PwC, 72% of organizations expect to use AI assistants to support decision-making processes. Leveraging AI and data analytics enables HR professionals to make more informed decisions, optimize talent acquisition strategies, and predict workforce trends, leading to improved business outcomes. (Source: PwC)

Cultivate Agility and Adaptability

A report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) highlights that agile organizations are 1.5 times more likely to report higher financial performance. HR teams should foster a culture of agility and adaptability, enabling employees to embrace change, experiment with new technologies, and quickly adapt to evolving business needs.)

Explore how Artificial Intelligence can help your hiring process

The human touch is still incredibly important. AI is great, but replacing a one-to-one offer letter, text, or e-mail with an AI-generated message might have a detrimental impact on how your candidate feels about your organisation.

But perhaps you could use systems like Chat GPT in another way. After writing your job description, you can run it through Chat GPT and ask it to translate what you've written into something that's easier to understand and read. Humanity is important in candidate attraction, and sometimes we can get stuck in a ditch and sound a little corporate when we don't mean to!

One of our talent intelligence experts - Cormac Riddell - looked at a job description written by Chat GPT and assessed how effective it was when compared to one written by a human being. You can see his results here.

As automation and AI reshape the future of work, HR professionals must proactively prepare their organizations for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Embracing strategic workforce planning, fostering continuous learning, redefining job roles and skills, leveraging AI in recruitment and employee experience, and embracing data-driven decision-making are key strategies to navigate this new era successfully. By staying informed, adapting to emerging technologies, and investing in the development of your workforce, you can position your organization for sustained success in the future of work.