By Jessie Taylor
Technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning are becoming a part of our daily lives and are increasingly influencing our workplaces. More than a third of companies today use AI in their business, with an additional 40% exploring the ways it can be used.
One survey found that almost 90% of global organisations believe that AI will give them a competitive edge, and around 40% of large companies said they plan to invest further in AI services.
But this increasing use of technology doesn’t stop at automating tasks or making workflow more efficient – it has great potential for adoption in the HR space to retain talent and improve working environments.
Here are just some of the trends being shaped increased use of technology in the HR space:
HR will be increasingly shaped by new digital worlds, such as the Metaverse and gamification. These can be used as essential tools to bring staff together.
Gamification is becoming a popular tool for HR practitioners and involves using game principles and techniques in a non-game context. It can be used to engage employees in learning new skills or knowledge or to encourage staff to reach their goals through the use of points, badges, and leaderboards.
Gamification provides mechanisms for recognition (stimulating progress), feedback, fun and collaboration. It is often used to draw the attention of job candidates and raise interest in job openings through the use of digitally supported recruitment that speeds up the process and helps to evaluate the future job performance of the applicant. This could play out through a game, for example, that virtually simulates the workplace experience, providing points for performance.
Onboarding is another process that can be digitised using gamification techniques. Digital platforms that allow new recruits to collaborate while learning about compliance, ethics and procedures are successfully being used by a number of companies and could be paired with a virtual office tour.
The Metaverse – essentially a virtual work where people can interact as three-dimensional avatars - could be harnessed for virtual events, employee onboarding, career fairs, and meetings. Around a quarter of people will spend an hour in the Metaverse every day within the next few years, and this space could be harnessed to build a creative, collaborative, and productive world without being restricted by physical conventions.