How can you create HR value with technology?

What can AI technology contribute to HR services?

While AI is a still a new technology it already offers very interesting use cases. A great example can be found in recruitment, more specifically when screening CVs. Thanks to AI technology, recruiters can filter candidates more efficiently based on objective criteria and free up more time for in-depth conversations with the best candidates from the selection.

AI can also facilitate the management of skills and competencies. Organizations can map the existing and future skills of their teams. By assessing an employee’s skills and competencies and comparing them to the requirements of a position, you draw up a development plan tailored to the employee.

Digitalization is also becoming a weapon in the search for new talent. Instead of instructing recruiters to look for similar profiles in other companies, you can organize that search based on the necessary skills and competencies. AI can help create a larger pool of candidates. Where in the past companies screened on the basis of education and diploma, today they can do so - partly thanks to artificial intelligence - on the basis of skills, competencies and achievements in the past.

AI is based on algorithms, raising concerns about potential mistakes like false assumptions that exclude certain candidates due to factors like ethnicity. There is always some form of bias in hiring, whether in the eyes of the recruiter or in the AI system. Therefore, it is especially important to keep using such technology for what it is: a tool to help you. There must always be a human to validate the process.

It is crucial that you trust the technology. Many people are still skeptical about AI, very often because they do not yet see the added value or because they see it as a threat to their own job. The human aspect and human control are essential when it comes to using AI applications. When people gain insight into the concrete added value, confidence in that technology will automatically grow.
 

What is the key to hybrid working?

Trust is integral to the successful implementation of a hybrid organization. Of course, you need the required technological tools for this. Most companies, especially in the service sector, discovered during the first lockdown that they already had all the technology in-house to make hybrid work possible. The challenge was: how do you deal with the people in that story?

Hybrid work is definitely a plus for a good work-life balance. However, working entirely from home can affect productivity, because employees lose their connection with the organization. The solution is to combine the best of both worlds.

The right mindset is important. A manager’s approach to leading and motivating people changes when the team starts working hybrid. It requires trust in the members of the team. There are ways to build that trust, through clear communication about the objectives and by focusing on results instead of on how employees organize their day.