“To use AI or not to use AI, that is the question” -- something Shakespeare might have pondered if he was Head of HR in today’s tech-savvy world.

In recent years, many industries have looked into A.I. solutions for their businesses. In particular, there is no better meeting place for human and machine-based intelligence than the human resources industry, where the incorporation of A.I. frees up the hands of HR and People Operations personnel to focus on what they do best -- the human side of things.

A.I. for Employee Experience

Some of A.I.’s value propositions include the ability to augment, segment, and automate processes. In doing so, A.I. can increase the efficiency of HR and People Operations teams. Such an affordance is precious in an era of constant change and digital skill shortages, a circumstance that renders A.I. more relevant to human capital management than ever before.

So what will change most in 2021? The highlights from Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Report include:

• accelerating time to productivity for new hires
• cycling skill sets of people by assigning new jobs 
• acquiring better tools and brand resonance for talent acquisition

Below, we unpack how these trends will emerge in practice.

Augment the Employee Experience 

One of the quickly emerging applications of A.I. is to use it to augment the employee experience. In a competitive workforce marketplace where talent picks companies instead of the other way around, identifying and amplifying the employee value proposition (EVP) has become crucial. Employee value proposition is considered the value or benefits the employer offers the employee in exchange for their performance at the workplace. Only with a strong EVP can companies significantly improve employee engagement and employee retention rates.

According to Mercer, there are seven main EVP elements that constitute critical aspects of the organization’s value proposition:

1. Reward for performance
2. Compensation
3. Benefits
4. Career development
5. Support for wellness
6. A sense of belonging
7. Meaningful work

Most of these EVP elements are only effectively realized when leaders connect with their employees, and understand what is truly important to their co-workers.

Tools for Augmenting Employee Experience 

Some of the software listed below can help augment the employee experience and measure the incorporation of those EVPs.

• Betterworks is an A.I.-powered tool that strengthens the employee-manager feedback loop. A software that integrates well with Google Apps, Slack, and more, Betterworks’ machine-learning algorithm facilitates cross-functional collaboration, recognition hashtags, and goal alignment tracking.
  
  
• Remesh (that's us!) enables managers to engage and understand employees in real-time conversation, helps managers gain insights into what their employees need through machine learning that segments employees’ responses, and identifies significant trends and data points. 

Some of these tools even use natural language processing to analyze open-ended responses to gather understanding at scale of an organization’s employees while still giving employees the chance to voice their opinions in their own words.

With such advanced software to supplement workforce management, companies are best equipped to augment their employees’ experience effectively.

Segment Employee Personas

According to Forbes, the demand by individual employees to be treated uniquely (especially in their workplace contribution) in the workplace is one of the most impactful megatrends shaping the labor market in the years ahead.

With this new trend in mind, the cookie-cutter experiences no longer work - every single employee must be segmented, and those resulting segments require a tailored management approach.

Is work getting too hectic for you to provide customized attention? Fret not, A.I. can empower you to plug this critical organizational gap!

Tools for Employee Segmentation 

Artificial intelligence helps segment the employee experience by leveraging employees' data and identifying patterns in employee segments. In doing so, companies that use A.I. can uncover actionable insights enabling them to develop targeted approaches.

• Workday uses A.I. and machine learning to identify employee segments that should be trained for leadership and those who may be at risk. Workday’s dashboard uses survey metrics, statuses, and responses, enabling companies to gain visibility into their human capital management, empower employees with specific needs, and manage talent more effectively.
• Hyphen uses A.I. to provide employee surveys, pulse polls, and an open platform to generate crowd-sourced ideas. With real-time analytics, Hyphen can create sophisticated visualizations including heat maps, category segmentation, trends, sentiment and participation. Such advanced employee management software now enables companies to understand their people and be nimble in reacting quickly to trends uncovered via segmentation.
  
  

Automate the Employee Experience

Traditionally, matching jobs to candidates takes extensive amounts of effort and time. Apart from manning career websites and being on-call to answer basic questions about the application process, HR personnel take time to screen applicants’ resumes before manually withdrawing unqualified candidates’ applications from the applicant pool.

Saving time in these areas holds great potential to free the hands of HR teams, enabling them to do more creative and strategic work crucial for the company’s success.

Tools for Automating Employee Experiences

New A.I.-powered tools, made with HR departments in mind, now focus on helping HR teams to streamline the recruitment process via automation. Among this type of software includes:

• IBM Watson Candidate Assistant is a cognitive talent management solution that helps match potential candidates with jobs they will thrive in. This A.I.-powered software reduces costly hiring mistakes by recommending jobs that are the best fit for job seekers, bearing in mind that they do not always know how their skills can be applied to different roles.
• IBM Watson’s Natural Language Understanding (NLU) application gathers concepts and keywords from resumes and job descriptions to provide the best job matches on an individual level. Now, thousands can apply for a job, receive an offer, and complete their onboarding within 24 hours.
• Mya is an A.I.-powered, conversational platform designed to transform your recruitment process by automating candidate outreach and communication from the recruiting process through the onboarding of new employees.
  
  

The Future of Employee Experience & A.I.

As A.I.-based human resource management becomes increasingly ubiquitous, it's crucial to remember that the end goal isn’t to make HR less human but rather to make it more so. With the help of A.I. in augmenting, segmenting, and automating the employee experience, HR teams can now focus on building relationships with employees and candidates.

In turn, this increases engagement, enhances employee education and empowers companies to acquire competent and compatible talent -- in a nutshell, better results.

Looking to see how you can implement A.I. to improve your organization's employee experience? Download our eBook on the current state of employee engagment across the board.

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