The changing face of HR at the intersection of AI and machine learning

Gi Group Holding, India, one of the world’s top suppliers of human capital solutions and services, recently launched the ‘All in the Mind: The Leadership Factor 2022’ report on the condition of employee mental wellbeing. According to the research, 93 per cent of employees regard workplace safety as an essential factor in their mental health. Furthermore, roughly 73 per cent of employees believe that job stress should be reduced in order for their mental health to significantly improve.

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According to the findings of the analysis, three out of every four employees polled (77 per cent) regard their leaders primarily as being virtually fully accountable for maintaining employee mental well-being. In contrast, more than two out of every five leaders (43 per cent) agree with the workers’ assessment and feel they have a considerable amount of responsibility for their colleagues’ mental health. While percentage perspectives of employees and leaders differ greatly among segments, both place personality, behaviour, and emotional maturity as leadership factors that have the greatest influence on employee mental health. Furthermore, female leaders are ranked higher than male leaders in terms of approachability (51 per cent vs 21 per cent) and support (46 per cent versus 27 per cent).

To learn more about the report, Adgully spoke with Upasana Raina, Director of Human Resources at Gi Group Holding India. With the advancement in HR technologies and the future of HRMS in the Indian industry, in the coming years, Raima noted, “Over the past years, the human resource industry has undergone several unexpected changes and there are several factors responsible for them.”

The intervention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are two of the most prominent HR technology developments that aid in workforce analytics and employee assistance. With these booming advancements in technology, HR professionals have also modified their work habits and increased their abilities. It is proven that the pandemic has given a major push to the use of cutting-edge technologies in the corporate space. In fact, technology has changed the way HR departments contact employees, store files, analyse employee performance, and so on and so forth. If it is used well, technology makes HR practices more efficient. On the other hand, when used poorly, it can get in the way of managing the company's human resources.

Technology allows the company to create a platform for compiling and maintaining employees' data, analysing employee performance and other aspects. Furthermore, the use of modern technology not only helps firms to have a healthy work environment, but also allows the enterprises to train new staff and upskill the current ones. This will enable the organisation to maintain a positive and long-term working relationship. When we talk about the future of HRMS in the Indian industry, it has a long way to go. “With the use of technology and digital skills, we will be able to construct a better, more productive, and more lucrative workplace by developing effective HR strategies and policies,” she further added.

On the key learnings and insights from the report for the Indian HR ecosystem to adopt to keep it on par with global standards, she commented, “People are the core of the HR ecosystem and when we talk about people, we cannot ignore mental health.” The study by GI Group Holding India explored the leadership factor in employee mental health Corporate leaders wield enormous influence over the people working in their organizations. As per the findings, “Mental health is an important part of the influence leaders have over employees.” Employees have begun to hold leaders responsible to a great extent for their mental wellness. Employee mental health is being accorded prominence by a great majority of leaders, and issues such as psychological safety, workplace factors, leadership traits, and leaders’ own mental health form a common ground of agreement between leaders and employees. There needs to be, however, a greater acknowledgement of leaders’ responsibility for employee mental health and psychological safety. This is a great place to begin this conversation. There is scope for leaders to closely align themselves with employee expectations of how, and how much, control needs to be exerted by leaders on workplace factors impacting employee mental health.

Differentiating the HR ecosystem in India compared to the global scenario, she stated, “According to Fortune Business Insights, the global talent management software market size is projected to reach USD 17.66 billion in 2029, at a CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period.” Rising Footfall of Cloud-based Technologies to Boost Growth Prospects There are a few major factors driving the growth of the talent management software market, such as attracting and retaining the right talent, along with better organisational performance, which is expected to drive the growth of the talent management software market. Further to this, talent management software uses analytics to provide advantages such as better recruiting; increased diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE & I); deeper employee engagement; minimising attrition; and better succession planning, among others.

Adding ahead, she said, “At Gi Group Holding, India, we firmly believe that the HR Ecosystem should combine people, culture, process, and technology in a holistic way to drive business results and create value.” “An effective HR ecosystem, whether in India or globally, must ensure that, on the one hand, basic transactional activities are met, while strategic aspects are given equal, if not greater, weight.”

The pandemic has shown why employers must prioritise health and wellbeing. On how to foster well-being among employees post-COVID-19, Upasana remarked, "The pandemic has made us realise the importance of mental health and wellbeing. The COVID-19 outbreak has made it quite evident that employees require and increasingly demand greater help from their companies at a time when more often than not, employees say that the pandemic has severely affected their mental health. These days, organisations are taking initiatives to break the stigma and create awareness about mental health issues. Organisations are also realising that their role does not end with engaging an EAP partner. In a recent study by GI Group Holding India, it was highlighted that “Organisations need to take the policy initiative to recognise and formalise mental health care.” Wellbeing cannot be attained until companies enable individuals to prioritise themselves and discuss their well-being, particularly their mental health, as readily as they could discuss a broken arm. To strengthen employee wellbeing, firms must create a welcoming workplace culture. Implement initiatives to lessen the stigma that prevents employees from seeking help. Enterprises must ensure that the working climate promotes employee well-being as a learnable ability and teach leaders to recognise indicators of distress. The firms should also focus on using frequent surveys to track employee mental health and well-being and to determine whether the perks provided match their needs.

She expressed, emphasising on the keys to a thriving HR ecosystem, “HR is a fast-moving industry and the intervention of technology is helping the growth even faster.” There are as many potential answers as startups when it comes to defining the perfect HR technology ecosystem. Although all of these new developments are exciting, one thing remains fairly clear: choosing the right technology for your HR team requires a great deal of consideration, and determining those considerations starts with understanding how candidates are attracted, engaged, and converted. Human resources professionals have to develop new skills in order to take advantage of the opportunities ahead and meet leaders' and employees' increasingly high expectations. As per the research by Insight222 HR in the Digital Age research, they identified three categories and nine skills for the future HR professional to be more business focused, data-driven, and experience-led. An amalgamation of these skills will enable HR to have a greater influence on strategy, solve business challenges, support the creation of inclusive cultures, and deliver an enhanced employee experience.”

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