Want Employees to Make an Impact with AI? Try This | 2-Minute Video

In today’s workplace, AI use is becoming the norm, not the exception.

In fact, nearly half of employees use artificial intelligence, and that number has continued to rise every quarter for the last two years, according to a Gallup poll. Nearly 40% of employees say their organization has integrated the technology to improve productivity, efficiency and quality.

But just because employees are using AI doesn’t mean they’re making an impact with it.

What’s Up in This Episode: Make an Impact with AI

We know an organization and its HR leader that took a calculated approach to adopting AI, and it’s making an impact. In this episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point, Cora Walker, the Chief Human Resources Officer at OmniCable, explains how they rolled out the technology and what they did to get employees to adopt it. The best part: She makes it clear how other organizations can use their strategy to do the same.

Click, watch and listen for more details on getting employees to adopt, embrace and make an impact with AI.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

Everyone thinks AI is going to make us all faster and smarter at work. But, really, does it happen like that? Well, in this episode of the 3-Point, we talk with an HR pro who had a team that took a calculated approach to adding AI to their workflow. It made an impact because they started with a very specific plan that would entice employees to try the tool.

Cora Walker, Chief Human Resources Officer, OmniCable: “You do it by relieving a burden from them. You create time and space to think and be creative by automating something that takes a huge amount of their time.”

In this case, it was a sales team, and they were spending a lot of time on quotes for customers. Certainly, a good use of time, but not the best.

Walker: “We said, ‘If we gave you a tool that went through your email and pulled out a request for a quote, would you use it?’ ‘Are you going to make me?’ ‘Yep. We’re going to make you use it.’ ‘Are you going to pay me to use it?’ ‘Absolutely. It’s still your quote. You still have to check it for accuracy. You still have to …’ ‘Well, if you’re going to pay me, then, heck yeah, give me something that’s going to make my life easier. That would be great.’ The tradeoff is for every hour that you don’t spend quoting, we need you training on this new product or spending time on this ERP project.”

There you have it. Tit for tat. In more than one way. From there, word traveled fast. They liked it. They learned and developed in the time they saved. And more people wanted in on this crafty time-saving tool.

Walker: “So we’ve done a few small pilots that way. It does seem to work for our culture, meaning you expose a small group. If the small group says, ‘OK, this is good, give us a little more, give us a little more,’ then they start to talk about how great it is. And what we’ve learned is, employees like to learn from each other before they like to hear from us.”

So to implement the technology with impact:

• Relieve a burden. Don’t just tell employees to use the technology. Explain what it’ll take off their backs – and what they can better spend their time doing.
• Reward them. Whether it’s time to do the things they find valuable or time to make more money.
• Start small. Pilot your programs to ensure they’ll have the impact you want.

For more on the latest in technology in the workplace, team-building or any pressing HR topic, check out the webinar page on HRMorning. You’ll be delighted to know that just about every one of them is free, often on demand and always relevant to you. Thanks for joining me on this episode.