AI KNOWS YOU ARE NOT HAPPY
How about this, IBM’s new Watson supercomputer powered artificial intelligence (AI) tool can predict whether you and I will quit our jobs, with… get this… 95 percent accuracy. It’s called a “predictive attrition program.”
According to a recent report by CNBC and article by Inc. Magazine, IBM isn’t disclosing the data used to make this determination. However, it’s suspected that Watson would scan our communications, work attendance records and somehow analyze indicators associated with our attitudes and behavior using our social media activity. They say it mainly assesses the characteristics and future relevance of our skills. IBM’s CEO and chairman Ginni Rometty says they mainly use Watson’s output to aid employees in upgrading or acquiring the skills necessary to extend their value to the company—thereby increasing employee retention.
Okay, so it’s all about helping us keep up on our skills to bolster our career opportunities at our companies. Why does it sound more like our engagement is being evaluated? After all, the objective of the program is to identify you and me as employees who are likely to stay or quit.
This might make you wonder if your company’s action of choice be retention or replacement (with someone who offers fewer quitting characteristics)? How much will they be willing to invest in you to retain you, through training, transfer to another department for a more future-proof role, or placement in a new job? Maybe one of the scarier questions is: Will predictive AI’s steps into this area of employee engagement effectively deal with your human qualities and not just your hard skills or career paths? And, finally, how will you prove your level of engagement in ways that this type of AI program will consider valid?
I know, lots of questions we’re asking. I wish I could offer answers that would make you—and me—feel less suspicious about this. My best advice to defend yourself from the negative outcomes of predictive attrition programs is summed up in these three action items:
? Ask yourself how future-proof your current skills and job functions are. If you don’t know, it might be worth getting input from an experienced career coach. Then, take the initiative to update your skills and knowledge related to your field and the direction its heading. In other words, embrace adaptability.
? Take a look in the mirror, so to speak, to examine your communications with co-workers and managers, work attendance trends, and work attitudes. What level of engagement do you think they reflect? If you like your job and want to stay with your company, strive to improve these behaviors to show that you’re fully engaged.
? Review your social network profiles and posts to see if anything would hint at dissatisfaction with your job, employer or current career path. Consider deleting or revising that potentially job sabotaging information.
Even if your company doesn’t use programs like IBM’s to respond to indications that you might quit your job, it seems like a good idea to keep up on technology trends with tools like these. Your and my ability to adapt to a world in which hiring, engagement and career related tools are used may be a huge factor in retaining our current jobs and long-term career success.
Sources:
#JobSatisfaction #EmployeeEngagement #EmployeeExperience @e2eshow
#employeeempowerment @e2eshow @IBM