Is AI making People Management Harder?

The introduction of AI means that employment law knowledge is there at your fingertips and it will even tell you the words to use – so consider the response your employee will get from AI when they ask these questions:

-       Can I be asked to work more than 48 hours in a week?

-       What should I do if I am being bullied at work?

-       When is my employer allowed to deduct from my pay?

-       How do I raise concerns about my employment?

The answers to these questions are likely to be in the contract of employment or the employee handbook but if employees can ask AI and get a quick response are they likely to go down that route?

 Consider the responses your employees will get when they ask AI to:

-       Can you write me a formal grievance letter which deals with bullying in the workplace?

-       Can you draft me a response to this invite to disciplinary letter as I can’t attend due to sickness?

A perfectly drafted email with all the legal boxes ticked could well land in your inbox in a matter of minutes.  So what does this mean for people management?

I think as a first step managers and business owners must look at what is going on in an employee’s workplace to make them seek the answers to these questions and address the underlying issues.  Gone are the days of being lazy about people management (not that it was ever a good plan!) the advent of AI will, I believe, make getting people management right first time more important.  This will be about:

-       Having well drafted HR policies and procedures in place and ensuring they are readily accessible for your staff

-       Making sure that what is in the HR policy is reflected in the way people are managed in the organisation. 

-       Ensuring your managers know how to deal with people management challenges at an early stage before they become big issues – especially in areas such as bullying, harassment, equality, diversity and inclusion

-       Ensure that HR processes are dealt with quicky and efficiently – the last thing you need is an AI drafted grievance because you have not managed a situation effectively.

AI does not enhance employment rights it just gives people more knowledge more quickly so having robust people management processes seems like a sensible choice to me at this point. 

Not all organisations are large enough to invest in an HR manager but they know that they need to get this right that is where Bell HR can help.  With over 15 years experience of working with SMEs we can provide you with the policies, processes and advice to help you to get people management processes right. 

Taking proactive steps now will help your business be in good shape for the future – and of course help you to avoid the endless AI generated grievances which will cost you lots of time an energy to deal with!

If you are a business owner or manager in an SME and you could benefit from HR support please get in touch for a free 30 minute initial chat.