Allegience @Work

Whose side is HR on?? It’s a tricky question that’s been around as long as the profession.? Some will argue that HR is obviously aligned with the employer, with a focus on maintaining compliance, mitigating risk and improving organizational performance.? Others will suggest that the role of HR is that of employee advocate, with an emphasis on safety, well-being and career development.? With the advent of new technologies like Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), Large Language Models (LLMs) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), will HR professionals find themselves moving closer to the company or their colleagues??

From a positive perspective, all functional departments including HR will eventually find themselves focusing less on administrative, transactional tasks thanks to these time-saving technologies.? In fact, if these new AI tools are able to deliver a fraction of ?the hype, they could take on virtually all of the compliance-related obligations associated with the HR function.? What if your HR practitioners could simply let the technology track employee time, administer benefits, maintain compensation practices, supervise policies, chase down performance reviews and even field employee questions and requests.? If the technology serves as the police, then HR professionals can focus on being a proponent for the workforce.?

Of course, there is the potential for employers to use this same technology to benefit the organization over the individual.? They may choose to focus on monitoring and analyzing employee data to improve efficiency and reduce costs.? While these are hardly dubious endeavors, an over-zealous focus on productivity over people can result in employee well-being taking a back seat to business results.? And there is admittedly fear of organizations collecting sensitive data, creating dystopian concerns that could lead to a slippery slope of reduced privacy.?

The eventual effect of these technologies on HR’s relationship dynamic will depend on how they are implemented as well as the evolving priorities of both individuals and the organizations they work for. Ideally, these technologies can help create a balance where both employee and employer needs are addressed more effectively. ?In many cases, HR’s role in supporting employees also serves the employer's interests by enhancing employee productivity, satisfaction and retention.?

If HR is unable to align these incentives, they may find their employees going outside of their organization for support.? Caged Bird HR offers access to HR professionals in a secure and confidential environment for individuals who need information, advice or just someone impartial to listen.? Peter Cappelli is a Professor of Management and the Director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.? In a recent article in The Guardian titled HR is not your friend, ?Cappelli proposes that the real benefit of these independent HR services may be the listening bit.? “For a lot of people, being able to talk to someone about what’s happening and maybe having someone else know might make them feel better,” he said. “If this makes the person who’s reporting feel better, then it’s possible that these services actually do some good.”

Now consider those external HR services utilizing the aforementioned technology, and the future could be very different indeed.?