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The world of HR, as with every business function, is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Jeff Wellstead, with over 35 years of experience in the HR sector, has been a pivotal figure in embracing and integrating AI into HR practices. From grappling with vast amounts of data to leveraging AI for strategic decision-making, Jeff has seen it all.
In this enlightening Q&A, Jeff discusses what AI in HR means to him, his journey into the AI-driven HR realm, the latest trends, and the remarkable benefits of integrating AI into HR processes. His insights offer a valuable glimpse into how AI is reshaping HR, making it more strategic and impactful than ever before.
As an HR practitioner with 35 years of experience, AI is a dream come true – and a technological revolution that I’ve been impatiently waiting for all these years! Traditionally, HR involves managing vast amounts of data—candidate information, employee demographics, performance metrics, and more—often manually through spreadsheets and documents. This process is prone to errors and inefficiencies. AI changes this by enabling us to process and interpret data accurately, uncover patterns, and generate valuable insights. It allows HR professionals to shift from routine data management to strategic, predictive roles, providing powerful commercial insights and enhancing our strategic relevance within organisations. AI in HR feels like emerging from a dark cave into the light, offering new tools and capabilities to lead our companies effectively.
My journey with AI in HR began with fleeting encounters with machine learning and pattern-matching algorithms, which often felt like magic but lacked lasting impact. Early attempts to use data for insights, such as identifying pay disparities, were frequently dismissed due to flawed data comparisons. I envisioned AI tools that could provide clear, actionable insights and strategic recommendations. Over the past two years, AI has matured in HR tech, moving from peripheral features to core functionalities. I've deployed several AI-powered tools, transforming HR from administrative tasks to strategic roles, and hope soon to be dealing with nothing but AI tools as the impact is massive for this function. Importantly, HR gets to shed its administrative help-desk activities and engage with far more powerful and impactful commercial outcomes than ever before.
One of the most significant trends in AI for HR is the rise of highly customisable HR chatbots that can be trained on both internal data and global knowledge, providing an affordable solution for routine tasks.
Tools like 50skills allow you to create workflows across multiple HR tools to ensure smooth, efficient experiences that are nicely organised and seamless to the users.
The most exciting stuff I’m seeing is the creation of skills-based organisations. These organisations use skills and competencies as foundational data to map roles to key skills, behaviours, and outcomes. By comparing validated skills and performance data, they build a dynamic, 3-dimensional picture of each employee's value and capability across the entire organisation. This empowers HR to make strategic decisions, anticipate trends, and provide valuable commercial insights, positioning HR as a pivotal function within organisations.
In short, massive savings in time, money, effort, useless thinking, prioritising and structuring complicated information and data sets.
AI tools kick-start thinking, provide insights, and organise information, all while you make a cup of tea! So start with delegating all administrative and compliance-oriented HR stuff to a Chatbot that is trained on your company’s policies and free up time to focus on strategic initiatives.
Understanding your company’s most mysterious and unpredictable asset, which also represents 70% - 80% of its balance sheet, is what HR is there to do. It’s a science and math job – not just a touchy-feely, warm and fuzzy party-planning role as the perception often becomes. AI helps predict organisational needs and steer high-level decision-making by analysing data-driven insights, making HR a more powerful and strategic function.
Implementing AI in HR presents several challenges:
By addressing these key areas, HR professionals can leverage AI responsibly and ethically, ensuring it enhances rather than disrupts the workforce. Establishing robust governance policies and leveraging AI for routine tasks can transform HR into a strategic function.
It’s going to relieve us from being minions to administrative and compliance hell! It can easily address the challenges and issues we grapple with today, and thus will allow us the space and elevated potential to start unleashing far deeper thinking, strategising, planning and doing than we’ve ever done before.
Recruiters can use AI-powered bots to source and engage candidates, turning them into 'snipers' who find the perfect fit. HR Business Partners can build stronger relationships and address employee issues, using AI as a co-pilot. Compensation and benefits professionals gain three-dimensional insights into pay structures, linking contribution, capability, and compensation for fair and competitive pay.
Imagine every level of HR professional having the ability to up their game by a factor of 100%. What an amazing time to be alive and engaged with this stuff!
Here are 7 areas where AI tools can positively impact the employee experience, fostering a more personalised and engaging work environment:
I apply the same KPIs I do today for the HR function – but just expect there to be a massive uptick in terms of positive outcomes for each including:
Hurry up! The time to adapt and engage with AI in HR is now. The industry is rapidly evolving, and early adoption will give you a competitive edge. Here’s some advice:
Here are some useful links to get you started:
Sites and newsletters:
Podcasts:
LinkedIn groups:
Learning:
By staying informed and proactive, your organisation can successfully integrate AI into HR, driving efficiency and innovation.
Jeff is a seasoned expert in AI applications within the HR context, boasting 25 years of experience in people strategy design and consulting for high-growth technology businesses. Based in the UK, Jeff has worked with over 16 organisations that expanded globally, with half being acquired by industry giants like Symantec, Oracle, and Microsoft. He specialises in guiding HR functions through the AI-driven paradigm shift, empowering HR technology innovators to create disruptive AI-powered solutions, and simplifying talent management with AI-driven tools. Jeff's deep knowledge spans all elements of human resource management and operational scaling for rapid-growth companies, making him a valuable asset in navigating the evolving HR landscape.
