AI-led HR creates an engaging employee journey efficiently in organizations

Artificial Intelligence and other advanced technologies like machine learning, robotics, AR/VR have today gone mainstream. What began as a technology to automate mundane tasks has now found its way into almost every business aspect. From screening thousands of resumes in minutes to streamlining operations, optimizing campaigns, handling customer service like a pro, and more. The scope is endless. Research from the International Data Corporation suggests that India's Artificial Intelligence market is expected to reach $7.8 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 20.2%.

As organizations continue to recognize the value and importance of optimizing their processes with AI, one function that can benefit is human resources management. HR can significantly improve the employee lifecycle by offering a more personalized experience with AI-led HR systems. With personalization everywhere in our daily lives in Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook, even employees expect similar experiences, especially their learning and development experiences.

Let's take a closer look at how HR can leverage AI to engage their workforce at every step of their journey with the organization:

1. Recruiting

HR professionals are faced with the tedious tasks of sifting through a large number of resumes before they shortlist a number of suitable candidates for interviews. AI reduces the time taken to carry out this initial screening from hours to mere seconds. Powerful AI-driven job-matching algorithms match candidate skills to the company's requirements to narrow down the options and accelerate the process.

Another time-consuming process, scheduling interviews, can be standardized with AI. Issues with the interview schedule can negatively impact the initial candidate experience enabling AI's role in checking real-time availability of interviewers, chalking out suitable timings, and sending out invitations to the candidates.

During the actual interview, AI-powered video tools can prompt interviewers to ask relevant questions that can help determine their suitability for the role while also keeping the process consistent. Such tools can also help interviewers steer clear of any blind spots or biases that can creep into interpersonal conversations and promote diversity in hiring.

2. Onboarding

Without a doubt, the essential part of the hiring process is onboarding. More so, when you have multiple candidates to be onboarded on a single day. Whether for a new role or internal talent mobility, onboarding needs to be seamless and convenient. AI can fast-track administrative tasks such as filling and signing paperwork, providing login information and sharing company policy documents.

Further, AI can have a profound impact on employees' career progression. Intelligent systems can match jobs and skills to determine skill gaps and offer upskilling recommendations. This gives employees a target right from the onboarding stage and carves a development path that hopefully provides employees the motivation to work toward the next step, encourages ongoing engagement, and boosts company retention rates.

3. Development

Throughout an employee's journey with the company, AI can evaluate their performance, offer upskilling recommendations based on personal growth objectives, and provide the required training. At this stage, AI can be used to personalize the employee experience and ensure that the work environment remains continuously conducive to the growth and development of the employee.

From the employer's perspective, the technology can measure employee performance with key performance indicators to give insights into performance, productivity, and areas of improvement.

4. Offboarding

In the offboarding process, AI systems can carry out exit interviews to identify other employees who may be at risk of resigning. Apart from carrying out efficient, data-focused exit interviews, it can perform tasks like deactivating systems and rerouting emails.

The road ahead 

As AI gets simpler and affordable, it will enable handling mundane tasks through algorithms while freeing up our time to apply our skills on meaningful assignments at the workplace. While you streamline HR and L&D workflows, it is essential to recognize the importance of the human element in every aspect of the employee life cycle. For instance, managers can be more compassionate and empathetic in supporting their team members' overall development, which AI technologies cannot. The best way forward will be to ethically incorporate AI into the employee lifecycle o they can focus on their career development and organizations can unlock their creativity and refocus their strategies for organizational success.