Artificial intelligence is actively influencing what our everyday jobs look like. As AI continues to evolve, it will further proceed to affect job performance, internal processes within companies, and the way businesses communicate with the market.
In certain industries, writing tools such as Chat GPT can increase employee productivity. With increased productivity, the performance of each employee flourishes, which directly influences their level of job satisfaction and contributes to a healthy company culture.
The fact that the AI is able to gather and process a vast amount of data in a matter of seconds makes it a valuable asset in different company processes from onboarding new employees to offering personalised support to individuals.
As AI transforms the landscape of company culture, it also has the potential to beneficially impact employee engagement. Let’s see what are the seven ways you can leverage AI to improve your company culture.
Increased Efficiency Through Automation
One of the most tangible ways AI is transforming everyday business is by helping out with routine and time-consuming tasks. Not only is AI automation making certain processes run faster, with optimising the workflow being a chief benefit, but it also allows the employees to focus their time and expertise on more challenging problems.
AI automation tools can take over redundant and repetitive tasks, creating more space for employees to take upon a more creative and challenging role within the company. This includes reshaping the company structure, creating new project ideas, optimising internal and external processes, etc.
For example, accounts payable automation can support the financial department by creating and sending invoices, managing payments, and updating the client database. Meanwhile, the staff can focus on enabling new payment methods required for expanding to new markets.
The best way to let your team benefit from AI is to invest in software that can help them optimise their everyday tasks. To find out which one is for you, ask the team members to test different AIs to determine which one helps them the most.
Moreover, make room in your annual budget for investing in AI. It might seem as an additional expense, but in the long run, it can help improve your business and make room for significant growth.
Not sure which AI to start with? Try these:
- UiPath – UiPath is a leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software that helps automate repetitive tasks, data entry, and other routine processes. It allows employees to focus on more valuable, creative tasks by handling the monotonous ones.
- PandaDoc – PandaDoc is an AI-driven document automation platform that streamlines the creation, delivery, and e-signature of documents, such as invoices and contracts. It can significantly improve efficiency in sales and contract management.
stronger security within the company
Artificial intelligence software can also play a significant role in improving internal security processes and supporting security practices within a company. For example, AI can replace password-based systems with biometric authentication methods that are more difficult to compromise, thus minimising the risk of unauthorised access.
New technology can be used to enhance online security as well as on-site security within the office and CCTV surrounding the workplace. The ability to collect data from smart AI business security cameras and analyse it in real-time can provide a significant contribution to the sense of security among employees.
To seize the opportunity of AI to improve your internal security, make sure that the department in charge is well-equipped to make important decisions that involve AI. Invest in training and seminars that will prepare them for the new age of working with advanced resources.
Here are some AI software that can be useful for improving security:
- Darktrace – Darktrace offers AI-driven cybersecurity solutions that use machine learning to detect and respond to threats in real-time. It can help protect your network and data from cyberattacks and internal threats.
- Vectra AI – Vectra AI specialises in AI-driven threat detection and response for cloud, data center, and enterprise networks. It helps identify and respond to cyber threats and unusual network behavior.
Better Communication and Cross-Department Collaboration
Chatbots, virtual assistants, and collaboration tools powered by AI can connect employees across different departments, locations, and time zones, enabling smooth communication and prompt response to challenges.
When an issue emerges, AI-powered tools can create alerts that are automatically sent to the responsible personnel. This creates a shortcut that saves numerous hours on back-and-forth emails and calls between departments.
Moreover, communication tools also positively impact how companies connect with clients. For example, tools like instant messaging apps help customer service teams maintain prompt and professional communication with clients, which benefits public perception of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Most popular project management apps such as Slack, Trello, and Asana are using AI to improve internal communications within and across teams. For example, Slack offers features such as chatbots, integrations, and smart notifications to facilitate real-time communication among team members, while Asana helps with automated task assignment and workload management.
By using these features within your favorite tools, you can improve internal communication and optimise the workflow. Make sure your managers and team leaders are familiar with the needed features and inspire them to use these opportunities within their teams.
developing new skills and lifelong learning
Understanding how to work with AI is slowly becoming a part of information literacy the same way operating Microsoft Office once was. In response to this change, businesses are now dedicating more time and resources to training their staff and adapting to the use of artificial intelligence software.
For instance, a digital marketing agency could integrate AI into their daily processes, eliminating time-consuming tasks such as proofreading simple texts, or generating new content ideas. With the ongoing development of text-generation software, the content creation process continues to accelerate This is just one example of how AI can empower SEO agencies to enhance their competitiveness.
However, to make an actual difference in efficiency when using sophisticated AI solutions, employees need to adapt to the use of each software. So training and SOPs are still recommended in order to get the best out of AI.
Apart from speeding things up, AI supports learning new useful skills among your employees and helps build a stronger and more competent team. It allows you to identify the skill gaps within the team and assists you in finding the resources for employees’ professional development.
Here are some useful courses you can purchase for your employees and help them get used to using AI in their everyday tasks:
- Coursera’s AI for Everyone – Coursera offers a course titled “AI for Everyone” by Andrew Ng, which is designed for non-technical professionals. It provides a broad understanding of AI concepts and their business applications.
- AI-related courses on LinkedIn Learning – LinkedIn Learning offers a variety of AI-related courses and tutorials. Topics range from AI fundamentals to specialised applications like natural language processing and computer vision.
Establishing a More Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
Artificial intelligence software may also be of use in the HR department. AI can identify top candidates based on objective criteria, ensuring an unbiased hiring process. When you eliminate demographic factors within the recruitment procedure, you open the door to a more diverse working environment.
Furthermore, you can use AI to analyse the employee data such as engagement, performance evaluations, and promotion records. Here you can discover potential patterns of bias and discrimination, which you can address to create a workplace that promotes inclusion and equality.
Additionally, AI can use employee skills and performance data to accommodate individual employee needs such as specific training courses, recommendations of tools to support them with everyday tasks, and more.
Finally, within larger companies, AI is able to identify employees with similar interests and connect them. Developing interpersonal bonds among employees from different departments can be beneficial for overall employee satisfaction and happiness in the workplace.
Here are the top AI software used by HR departments of companies worldwide:
- Greenhouse – Greenhouse is an applicant tracking system (ATS) that integrates with AI-powered tools for sourcing and candidate assessment. It streamlines the hiring process and helps HR teams make data-driven decisions.
- Textio – Textio is an AI-driven writing assistant that helps HR professionals create job descriptions and communications that attract diverse candidates. It uses language analysis to reduce bias and increase inclusivity.
- HireVue – HireVue uses AI for video interviewing and assessment. It analyses candidate responses and body language to help identify the best fit for a role.
Ethical Considerations and Transparency
Different AI software is being developed every day, and the code continues to evolve with every iteration. However, the implementation of AI technologies raises important ethical considerations, such as privacy, bias, and algorithmic accountability.
When including artificial intelligence within your company processes, bear in mind that these systems aren’t flawless, and AI error is just as possible as human error. It is a good practice to encourage employees to critically evaluate AI systems until you find the tools that are truly beneficial for your company.
Even though AI can be helpful in many ways, it is important to remember that it only knows what we feed it. Meaning, that if we let AI learn about practices that were unfavorable to the company culture, the software will continue making the same mistakes we made.
For example, imagine we use AI during the hiring process. Before we let it make the decisions and select the candidates, we share the database of previous hires to help AI learn about our hiring practices and standards. If our previous decisions were biased (e.g. unfavorable towards a certain demographic), it is likely that the AI will make the same biased decisions in the future.
To address these concerns, companies will need to develop clear guidelines, policies, and frameworks for responsible AI use.
Not sure where to start? Organisations such as OpenAI provide toolkits, guidelines, and toolsets to help businesses and developers implement ethical AI practices. Your policy-making team can start designing your own rules based on the ongoing findings and determined risks.
mental health support and preventing burnout
Perhaps the most significant way that AI can change company culture is within the scope of employee mental health support. In the fast-paced working environment, reducing stress and preventing anxiety, depression, and burnout, should be the top priority of HRs.
One of the ways you can use AI to support your employees is to let it analyse employee health data and detect the need for action when it comes to improving stress management, adjusting the workload, and scheduling more frequent work breaks.
AI software can also help with monitoring productivity levels, and presenting the data to the managers and team leads. Leaders can then make informed decisions and learn to better delegate tasks among employees, ensuring the workload isn’t piling up and causing unnecessary stress.
When it comes to preventing burnout, it is crucial to understand whether your employees have a healthy work/life balance and spend enough time on self-care activities. For example, AI tools used in HR departments can send you alerts when a staff member frequently logs overtime, enabling you to inspect these cases further.
Moreover, AI-powered chatbots can provide confidential and immediate mental health support, offering resources and guidance to employees experiencing stress or emotional complications. Although AI is not a replacement for licensed psychologists and therapists, it can be the first step in helping individuals before they seek professional advice.
Here are the current AI applications designed to help with mental health and stress management:
- Ginger – Ginger is an AI-powered mental health platform that provides on-demand emotional support to employees. It offers therapy through chat-based conversations and can help identify signs of stress and burnout.
- Optimity – Optimity uses AI to analyse employee health data and provide recommendations for stress management and well-being. It offers personalised wellness programs and can track employees’ progress.
Conclusion
Nowadays, AI can have many roles within a company. From recruiting new staff to supporting the personal and professional development of the employees, automating and optimising internal processes, and fostering cross-department collaboration–there are many ways you can utilise AI to favor the thriving company culture.
However, adequate employee engagement is required for a worthwhile return on investment in AI-based tools. To improve existing practices and achieve optimal workflow. your staff will not only need to learn how to adapt to the use of new software, but they will also be asked to report back on the efficiency of the AI.
Even though there is much potential to increase employee efficiency and productivity, and scale a business with AI tools, there are still many challenges at hand that company owners need to address.
AI is already involved in many aspects of company culture, and embracing these changes is inevitable in many industries. Nevertheless, it is up to business owners to ensure these tools are used responsibly and ethically, benefiting not only the business development but employee wellbeing as well.
Author: Nina Petrov – Founder, Coffee Bean Digital
Photo credit: Rawpixel.com
Great read on transforming company culture with AI! These 7 strategies are concise and actionable. AI is clearly reshaping the workplace, and your insights show how it can enhance culture, employee engagement, and productivity. Looking forward to implementing some of these ideas in our company. Thanks for sharing!