When we reflect about the HR trends that emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work is the first and foremost. While it is possible to argue that remote work was a trend on the rise, there’s no denying that the pandemic greatly accelerated its adoption. It became so prevalent in the world that even job positions once exclusively advertised as “office work” were rapidly shifted to remote work.

We have moved far from terming it as a trend to a current reality for today’s workforce. People around the world are actively seeking remote work to enjoy the various perks that come along with it. A radical shift in the expectations has resulted in an extremely different world of work than before.

A new world of work demands new ideas and poses challenges that are unique to its people. Remote work is not an exception to this rule. This poses specific problems which need to be addressed and dealt with, appropriately. For instance, it makes it harder for HR teams to communicate with remote workers, manage HR processes, and ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Fortunately, the advent of new technologies like conversation AI and ChatGPT are on the path to revolutionize the world of work. These technologies can help solve remote work challenges for HR teams and overall improve their operations.

This blog discusses several use cases that showcase the applications of “ChatGPT for HR” or “AI for HR.” This is not an exhaustive list and there are certainly numerous other ways that AI can be used in HR, many of which are currently beyond our comprehension.

1. Improved Communication

Imagine this scenario: You have a query for the HR team regarding a policy, but you were wrapped up in your work and it is already late Friday evening. What do you do? Consider this – what if you have the same persistent doubt about a company procedure that you have asked about, multiple times?

On the other side, the HR team is struggling to bring everyone on the same page especially after their global team went remote. Maybe, there is a change in company policy that needs to be communicated to everyone quickly.

All these situations present one of the biggest challenges of remote work, communication. An AI-powered chatbot can resolve this complex problem by facilitating communication between HR teams and remote-workers, especially in real-time. Chatbots can answer all queries, provide team members with information, answer common questions and even be used to send out a mass message quickly.

2. Streamlined HR Processes

Anyone who has been involved in the hiring process knows the challenges of coordinating interview schedules among multiple individuals to ensure a smooth and timely process. If the person is hired, they must still undergo numerous steps before they are completely onboarded. We all know how it feels on the first day of work at a new organization – overwhelming. Along with the first-day jitters, new team members must also navigate through various onboarding formalities including filling up forms/paperwork/documents etc.

ChatGPT can help streamline these processes by automating tasks. For instance, it can schedule interviews and even help new employees complete onboarding paperwork/documentation by guiding them through the process step-by-step.

3. Reduced Administrative Burden

We have moved far beyond a world where we need to burden ourselves with administrative tasks. Filling out paperwork, scheduling appointments, tracking employee hours, etc. are all tasks that come under the purview of HR teams.

These tasks may require a lot of time and energy, draining valuable resources that could be better spent on more important work. We are in a world where it is possible to reduce this administrative burden by outsourcing it to ChatGPT or AI.

4. Increased Efficiency

In line with the above-mentioned points, AI in HR can help automate routine tasks and administrative duties. This frees up HR teams and enables them to focus on more complex tasks such as performance management, compliance, etc.

This leads to increased efficiency and can help organizations become more competitive, reduce costs, and save significant time and resources.

5. Leave Requests

Imagine this scenario: You plan to extend your vacation by a few more days, but you need to know your available leave balance to extend it. However, you will need to log into another device since you don’t have access to your laptop to check the balance. But if Conversational AI has been integrated into your system, you can simply ask the chatbot via text or voice and access your leave balance.

6. Performance Review

Conversational AI can also be used for performance review. Imagine having a conversational experience during your reviews. An AI-powered interactive assistant can make that a reality by sending out reminders for goal settings, providing prompts for feedback and asking specific performance-related questions relevant to your data. The AI can analyse the conversation between your manager and you and highlight key areas of improvement; you just need to create triggers to highlight specific words.

7. Excellent Employee Support 24/7

Imagine that you work in an HR team, and you have multiple remote employees who work outside of the traditional business hours. While the flexibility is refreshing, this poses yet another challenge for you. How do you provide the team members with the support they require?

It is unrealistic to be available 24/7 for any human but this idea can be made real by ChatGPT or any other AI for HR. Such chatbots can provide remote team members with any information they require at any point of time. This is especially useful for members working in different time zones.

A personal 24/7 support bot can result in feelings of connection with the organization thereby improving overall employee satisfaction.

8. Mental Health Check

There is a growing awareness about the importance of mental health, especially after the pandemic. Organisations can provide their team members with a healthy, productive, and happier environment by prioritising mental health. AI for HR can be particularly useful in this scenario. It can analyse check-in meetings with team members to understand the call sentiment as well as highlight keywords such as “stressed”, “tired” etc mentioned during the meetings. This report will enable the manager to better support their team members.

9. Improved Candidate Experience

Consider this scenario: Your company is in the process of hiring new employees, and you want to ensure that you attract and retain top talent. However, managing the massive number of applications presents a challenge and you are also determined to give candidates an excellent experience in your recruitment process.

This is where AI in HR can be helpful. By automating certain tasks, such as sending out candidate assessment forms, ChatGPT and other AI can help HR teams manage the recruitment process more efficiently. This can lead to a quicker and more seamless process for candidates, ultimately leading to a more positive candidate experience.

10. Recruitment

Conversational AI and ChatGPT are valuable resources for recruitment. They can be leveraged to craft job descriptions, schedule interviews, automate screening, conduct virtual interviews, etc. This will remove recruiter bias from the entire process and provide an equal chance to all potential candidates.

11. AI for Policies

We have entered a world of work where we no longer need to write policies. ChatGPT or other AI software can write them for us and simultaneously also adjust them as rules/laws change. If you need to update any part of the policy, you can easily ask the AI to do it across all systems and send out the revision to everyone.

12. Better Data Management & Analysis

HR teams are responsible for managing a large amount of employee data. It is critical for them to manage data effectively and ensure data accuracy. Handling such large complex data is prone to human errors. AI for HR can help automate certain data entry tasks and store all data in a centralized location, making it easier to access and analyse. This leads to a reduced risk of errors and inconsistencies in data leading to more accurate HR analysis. This, in turn, helps the organization make more informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.

In summary, Conversational AI and ChatGPT have unlimited potential and offer a promising future for HR teams. As teams work to overcome the complexities of working from home, these tools have emerged as valuable resources which help employees make a positive, engaging, and productive workplace for themselves.

However, there is a need to note that these technologies have important advantages, but they should not be seen as the complete replacement of human interaction. This especially holds true in the context of emotional intelligence and empathy that only humans can provide. Building trust, establishing rapport, and creating a sense of community are all ingredients of human interaction.  

HR teams should use such tools as a supplement to their existing communication channels and ensure that they continue to foster human connections with their employees.

After all, as Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft aptly puts it, “The real value of AI is in augmenting human capabilities, not replacing them.”

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