Over the years Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been gradually getting smarter and reaching new levels of sophistication and precision which are beginning to address complex business issues. Artificial Intelligence is being deployed in multiple ways depending upon the business needs.

Over the years Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been gradually getting smarter and reaching new levels of sophistication and precision which are beginning to address complex business issues. Artificial Intelligence is being deployed in multiple ways depending upon the business needs. AI manifests itself as assisted intelligence replacing the mundane and repetitive tasks being performed and provides directions or guidance. Augmented intelligence underscores the importance of man and machine working together and enabling superior decision making. Emotional intelligence, creativity and innovation that humans possess when combined with the ability of the machines to crunch enormous datasets and provide predictive analytics to define probability of occurrence of certain events lead to higher order outcomes. AI and cognitive computing have thus started to guide managers to understand cognitive dimensions better and technology is now being used to understand employee motivation and their aspirations better than ever before.

Organisations often struggle to find the right talent and retaining them is as much or more of a challenge. According to John Bersin, it takes two years for the new employee to reach the previous levels of productivity. The reasons for employees developing interest in the work being assigned and their loyalty towards the organisation could be several and providing support for understanding the phenomena would be welcomed by all. AI could help unravel the informal networks and connectedness employees have within the organisation, highlight the potential risks, identify those who may be dissatisfied with work or with people they work with and their strong preferences and reservations with some of the policies of the organisation—all of which could determine the probability of employees staying on or otherwise. Thanks to the deep insights now available to the supervisors and HR managers in a timely fashion, employee retention is no longer a matter of chance but can become a science supported by algorithms of possibilities.

Einstein is a good example of an AI tool using which mined data can be used to determine voluntary turnover in relation to engagement. Veriato is an AI platform which monitors the emails of employees, their browsing patterns and key strokes for a period of time and is able to create a baseline of normal activity of the employees, identify outliers and predict the likely exits. As the AI tools learn to reach the ‘unconscious level of information’ by following the patterns of human emotions as expressed in social media and carrying out the analysis of statements, it is possible to track employee experience, their moods and monitor their satisfaction levels and thus understand the reasons why employees could get disengaged. Anticipating employee reactions or moods helps organisations reach out to specific employees on time and implement preventive actions that could avert exits.

Employee experience journey has to be mapped with as much as vigour as customer experience journey. Measuring employee engagement throughout the year and using this as a parameter to determine potential voluntary exits in relation to engagement is a useful way to minimise attrition. The concern often expressed about the possibility of AI replacing human beings is overstated as technology cannot entirely take the place of humans. By providing AI platform to employees, it is possible to engage with them on a regular basis and cocreate a positive culture. AI could handle repetitive and routine tasks, but for complex tasks and decision making, HR functions need to figure out how to work alongside AI and evolve a collaborative model that would result in higher levels of productivity and enhanced employee experience and lower voluntary exits.

The writer is CEO, Global Talent Track, a corporate training solutions company