Helping Employees Who Feel Threatened by AI

Every day I get asked “Will AI take my job?” and “How can I get the skills to be part of the new world of AI at work?”. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought a wave of innovation and transformation that is reshaping the landscape of many industries.

While this offers exciting possibilities, it also brings apprehensions, particularly among employees who are concerned about the potential impact on their jobs. As HR leaders, it is your responsibility to guide and support your workforce through these changes as well as figure out how to evolve your own skills.

Helping employees navigate change

There’s no denying that AI will impact people’s jobs. In the US, the advent of the spreadsheet over time removed 400,000 accounting and book-keeping jobs, but 600,000 new jobs were created too. It’s important to acknowledge people’s concerns about AI and provide clear, honest communication. If your organisation has an AI strategy, HR can help dispel fears and mitigate resistance to change. It’s essential to convey that AI is not about replacing humans, but rather about augmenting our capabilities and freeing people from routine tasks so they can focus on more other aspects of their roles.

There are many roles where our uniquely human skills are vital and AI won’t be replacing the human touch any time soon. We know that cash machines revolutionised the banking industry and when they were introduced bank employees and customers were concerned that the automation would lead to the end of banks having a human face. Whilst some banks are now fully online, with little or no opportunity for customers to talk to a person, others have realised the importance of maintaining a human presence and have embedded their friendly accessibility as a unique selling point.

For years you’ve probably been promoting a culture of lifelong learning. It’s time to put new energy into this, encouraging employees to embrace upskilling and reskilling initiatives. The AI era doesn’t mean that jobs will simply disappear; rather, it means that the nature of jobs will evolve. For example, if someone’s job currently involves lots of manual data entry, or spending time manipulating data in spreadsheets, that’s the sort of role that will be automated away by AI. Good advice to a person in that sort of role would be to take opportunities to build more advanced data analysis and data science skills; in doing so they will evolve their career and gain skills that are in short supply.

Do your senior leadership have the skills to spot opportunities to use AI and are they wise to the pitfalls the AI use can bring? If not, I urge HR leaders to call out this knowledge gap and encourage colleagues to invest in their skills, after all, if you don’t put the spotlight on the paucity of AI skills at the top of your organisation, who will?

It’s not just about leadership skills. All employees benefit from learning about machine learning and data analysis. You should be offering training programmes and workshops that equip them with the skills required to work effectively alongside AI. Don’t just limit these to technical skills. Non-technical skills such as critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence and problem-solving will be just as important in an AI-driven workplace.

HR leaders should also work towards developing a growth mindset in their employees to help people see the changes brought by AI as opportunities for growth rather than threats to their job security.

New skills for HR Leaders

As for HR leaders themselves, several skills will be critical in navigating the AI era.

1. Digital Literacy: you need to understand the basics of AI and related technologies so you can make informed decisions about how to integrate them into the workplace. There is already a plethora of AI-powered tools you can use in all aspects of HR so you need enough knowledge to be able to evaluate which are best for your organisation.
2. Strategic Decision-Making: As AI reshapes the business landscape, HR leaders will need to make strategic decisions about talent management, training, and organisational structures.
3. Data-Driven Insights: With AI and machine learning, there is a wealth of data available that can be used to inform HR practices. HR leaders need to be confident to use data analytics to derive actionable insights.
4. Change Management: With the introduction of AI, organisations will inevitably face changes in processes and workflows. HR leaders must be adept at managing change to ensure a smooth transition.
5. Ethical Leadership: The use of AI brings up many ethical considerations, from privacy concerns to issues of fairness and bias. Leaders need to make many ethical choices about how they use AI and data and HR leaders are well placed to ensure the interests of wide stakeholders are considered in discussions.

As HR leaders, it is your role to reassure and guide your employees through the changes brought about by AI. By fostering a culture of learning and investing in your own skills, you can help your organisation navigate this exciting new era with confidence and resilience. Remember, AI is as much an opportunity for growth and innovation as it is a threat to the status quo. Embrace it and help your employees to do the same.