AI and Humans: The Future of Hybrid Work

Navigating the complexities of hybrid work remains a significant challenge for organizations worldwide. Four years into this working model, many still struggle with burnout, disengagement, and unclear policies. Employees come to the office only to continue remote working behaviours – like video conferencing with colleagues sitting just two desks away. As these challenges persist, could artificial intelligence offer meaningful solutions?

TL;DR:

• The EU AI Act requires companies to train employees on workplace AI tools, highlighting the importance of proper implementation
• L&D professionals are key to successful hybrid work models 
• Most AI implementation failures stem from poor planning, lack of strategic alignment, or trying to replace rather than augment human capabilities
• Successful AI integration in HR requires identifying specific pain points and measuring outcomes against clear metrics

This thought-provoking discussion explores the intersection of AI, human resources, and learning development in the hybrid workplace. We examine how sentiment analysis can provide valuable insights into employee wellbeing when implemented transparently and ethically. The conversation emphasizes that while technology creates efficiencies, it cannot solve fundamental people management issues. Success requires balancing AI capabilities with human touch and proper training.

The discussion highlights a critical but often overlooked aspect of technology implementation – training. As one compelling example reveals, some organizations invest millions in technology only to discover employees aren't using it effectively because no budget remained for proper training. We explore how L&D professionals can leverage AI to create personalized, role-specific training that addresses the unique challenges of hybrid environments while freeing HR teams from administrative burdens to focus on strategic human interaction. Additionally, we delve into how AI-powered analytics can transform existing human capital data into predictive insights, enabling truly data-driven HR decisions.

The potential for AI to enhance workplace productivity and engagement is enormous, but success depends on strategic implementation. With proper planning, clear alignment to business objectives, and realistic expectations, organizations can avoid becoming part of the estimated 90% of bespoke AI applications that fail to deliver ROI. The exciting reality is that AI implementation doesn't require massive budgets – accessible tools exist for organizations of all sizes. Join us as we unpack how to successfully blend human expertise with AI capabilities to create more effective, engaging hybrid workplaces.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Hybrid Work Challenges and AI Solutions
• 2:47 Technology as Enabler Not Replacement
• 5:37 Balancing AI with Human Management
• 9:16 Using AI for Training and Analytics
• 13:06 Planning for AI Success in HR

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Lots of businesses are engaged in hybrid work and they're using AI to develop smarter ways to engage and support their people. But let's be transparent the current hybrid working situation has lots of pain points burnout, disengagement, unclear policies or, if you notice, the last time I was in work, someone was doing a team's call with me and they were literally two desks away because they got into that mindset as to it's remote work. I've come into the office, but I'm not changing my behaviors. So is AI Claire an option to help employees better listen, better learn, better develop you? Can we use tools like AI sentiment analysis? What is it that we can do to help the challenges that HR and learning and development professionals face with hybrid work themselves and with their teams?

Speaker 2: 0:56

I think this comes back to any introduction of new technology and any displacement of the way that work is done. So we have been trying to get a handle on hybrid working for quite some time. We're past now what four years where it's really become the norm for most people to be working a mix of at home or in the office, and I don't think they should try to introduce AI to maybe solve any of those problems. Some of those are people problems and some of those about how staff are managed, and some of those are about realistic expectations as well. I do think AI and the technology will help to enable hybrid working, but I think it's critical that, in particular, hr do keep an eye on that and do understand how does it affect my people and what are they feeling and what are they thinking? Sentiment analysis is critical, but if businesses aren't doing that as a norm, ai is not going to solve that either. But they could introduce AI to have shorter, snappier and smarter sentiment analysis that are maybe more frequent. The other thing we need to consider is the good jobs bill.

Speaker 2: 2:12

In Northern Ireland. There is conditions within that that will look at the right to disconnect. So are we with the introduction of AI and other technologies, maybe diluting that right to disconnect a little bit more because it is so easy and effortless to work from anywhere in the world or at home or wherever you might be. You and I are in the same country, but obviously very different locations. I think it should be approached as an enabler to create efficiencies where it can, but it should not be used I think what I'm saying is as a process that really needs to wrap around everything that this is going to be a solution for hybrid working. There are a lot of other strategies and policies that need to be considered because it's a complex environment and a really complex process, I think, to manage. What would you think on the L&D side? Would you say that there'd be any major challenges with it?

Speaker 1: 3:07

Yeah, well, it's like everything, as you said, it's like new technology and therefore everybody has to get trained in it. First of all and interesting with anybody in the EU the EU Act said in February that if you are using AI in your workplace, you had to train your employees. But you shouldn't need a rule to say that. You know, I've came across companies who spent a million dollars, a million pounds, on technology and then said but my staff aren't using it right. I interviewed the staff as part of a consulting role and they went yeah, there was no money left over to train us. So the old adage, if you've got to spend a pound on technology, spend a pound or a dollar, whatever your denomination is on training, still holds true for me.

Speaker 1: 3:46

I think the L&D team are really key here, because what you're describing there is you can use sentiment analysis, in other words, ai, to listen into conversations, to judge how people are feeling, obviously be very transparent about it and get everybody's agreement. Otherwise you create mistrust. I think AI can definitely benefit remote working. You know, know, I can watch, be able to make sure they're okay, I can listen in to make sure you know I'm not putting them under stress or pressure and interact early. You know you can look at a whole host of behaviors.

Speaker 1: 4:13

I can use AI when I'm doing my meetings to record them, to give me time back. I can provide tools that provide answers. You know all those types of things. But to your point a moment ago, those are point solutions and point suggestions, whereas actually how we work is the most important thing and therefore, if we've our L&D professionals understanding and, let's be honest, when hybrid work come in, we didn't really train people how to manage and then we insisted they come back into the office and now I'm saying not one day and there are no days in, it's three days and you and I know that's going to become four days for certain firms yeah so I think that's down to the fact we've not learned how to work effectively in a hybrid situation, regardless of AI or anything else.

Speaker 1: 4:57

And, to your point, ai isn't going to fix that. This becomes a people plus technology. You know opportunity and I'm very bullish about both. I'm very bullish about really good policies treating people like adults and teaching them how to work in the hybrid situation, and I'm really bullish about great technology, which definitely today includes AI, to allow them to work smarter, more innovatively, more effectively and more productively. But both things need to go together.

Speaker 2: 5:26

It's not an equal war for and I think it's also about how we balance that automation, that AI, with the human touch. And it's back again to what you're saying and what I'm saying. It can be. It's a people management issue, it's a training issue and it's a new technology issue. And all of those strategies need to align at a senior level. So do senior leadership even have an understanding of that impact? And it's all great having a hybrid working policy, but are you understanding the effects of technology on that individual, on that environment, how it affects their work? Do they have the correct environment? Are their managers trained?

Speaker 2: 6:07

Even thinking about what you've actually just said, we don't want AI to replace any of that human touch. We don't want AI to replace any of that human touch. So is there a risk that organizations will start to maybe blur that line a little bit and use the AI to manage the employee rather than the manager?

Speaker 1: 6:25

Well, this is the interesting bit, because you mentioned in one of our previous podcasts agentic labor, which is essentially digital workers. We're starting to see a lot more of that. So Jensen Wang said that he wants, you know, 50,000, 100,000 digital workers. We're starting to see a lot more of that. So Jensen Wang said look, he wants, you know, 50,000, 100,000 digital workers, not just people.

Speaker 1: 6:39

And again, it's not the same thing where we're going to replace everyone with a digital worker. It's how do we get technology that is suitable and appropriate for a process or workflow or whatever else, to do that, to free up the people, to play, dare I say, more of a human role? You know, nobody in L&D and HR set out to go yippee, I'm going to do tons of administration. Yes, I'm delighted to be a business partner. Now I can do all of the businesses administration. That's not why things are there, you know.

Speaker 1: 7:15

And if we put great technology, which is AI and apps and chatbots and digital workers and everything else, into place, then we're truly giving help to managers and HR teams and L&D teams, you know, to help their well-being, to improve their productivity and also to improve their workforce's productivity, because that's what great technology is, isn't it. It's about improving not just performance because we sort of expect that and productivity, innovation and creativity and the tech that we will teach people you and I will allow them to do that but it's about how do you actually use all this technology and all those human moments, claire, to improve engagement in a human workforce. So what are you seeing from an AI perspective of where we're using tech and good HR strategy and skills and L&D methodologies to improve engagement, to personalize learning, to improve coaching and to do exactly as you described a moment ago balance automation and AI and technology with that vital human touch?

Speaker 2: 8:09

I think if you can inject the AI into the training great you know, if you can make it a more of a personalized journey for that individual where it's role. Specific training where there has been a lot of effort put into the content with the support of AI, because we know the content creation is its speciality. If we can put the effort into that and get real quality, rich training programs for individuals and managers, I think that's the first step. And rich training programs for individuals and managers I think that's the first step and the first bit of injection of AI. On the L&D side, they should start to feel that value and what they can create. I think then, on the HR side, to balance that human element with the technology, look at the data you already have. There is so much human capital information available in organizations, but I do think one of the issues is they do, they don't know what to do with it, and we're so used to HR professionals having to be those data analysts as well and maybe not picking up on the patterns that technology or AI would see. So why not try and inject that AI into your analytics? And it can go as far, and this is some applications your organisations already have access to it can go as far as to give you the narrative so you can present that to different audiences. So, for example, direct line managers, you know you can have that information available to them in an immediate format. For more senior leadership, you may want that information available to them in an immediate format. For more senior leadership, you may want to present that maybe in a paper with the support and analytics. So I think the AI can help both in the creation but also in the analysis of the organization. Because how do you know if you're successful if you can't measure success? And I think if you've already got all that great valuable data, start to do something with it. Look for the patterns that the human eye at least couldn't see, or maybe you're looking at it too frequently to actually see the bigger picture. And I do know that this expansion of technology and artificial intelligence allows us to start to layer a lot of different sources of information together to give us richer analytics. And I think that takes us more into predictive era so we can actually have HR driven data decision making, because we've been able to analyse larger volumes of that and I think that that will bring value to those teams, at least at senior leadership teams, so they can see at least at senior leadership teams, so they can see even the return on investment.

Speaker 2: 10:37

I read I know you'd mentioned a few of the agentic workers and the replacement or statistics that they're looking at A recent MIT paper that was published around bespoke applications that have been created where these are standalone in organisations to solve a particular problem. I think only 90% of them were successful in delivering a return on investment. So that tells me a couple of things. It tells me I'm not quite sure about the cohort of people or organisations that they've looked at first of all, but obviously people are still exploring and experimenting, so they're trying to determine what works for them.

Speaker 2: 11:17

Is it the right application? Does it need to be changed? Is there something you know you need to rewrite within that as well? So I'm not going to sit and say, yeah, you'll get it right first time and there's one application that's going to solve everything. It won't. I think individuals in HR and L&D know their organisations best. They will be able to pinpoint where's the pain in their role and their process and how can they actually use AI to inject some energy into that, to free them up out of those processes and actually allow them to create that really great content that we're talking about.

Speaker 1: 11:53

And that's not.

Speaker 1: 11:54

I know we're mentioning words there like data analytics and insight and predictive, which I call foresight to allow those groups to make better decisions that we can teach relatively easily.

Speaker 1: 12:04

It's not again that you need a million dollar budget, because if you've got the data and you can get access to it which we can, you know, do today then we can use something as simple as chat gbt to do descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics relatively easily. And to your point there a second ago as well, claire, we can actually use that tooling and technology and we will be teaching that on a course that Claire and I are running in the next couple of weeks and months to teach people how to create content and create training and learning and development materials that actually talk to the individuals and satisfy their needs, you know. So now we're talking about data analytics and AI and great people and freeing up time and empathy and automation. So now we really are into that phase, claire, that's been promised for years, where AI supports humans and doesn't replace them. And it was interesting.

Speaker 1: 12:55

I seen that same MIT report and I read it and thought there's nothing new here. This is awful, apart from the hype figure, because nothing like a bit of misery to say why it's not working.

Speaker 2: 13:04

What.

Speaker 1: 13:05

I call cross people every day, where it is working and all of the mistakes they mentioned. So, for example, you know not having a clue where to begin get some training. You, you know aligning ai to the wrong thing. Well, align ai to your department or business strategy, not hard some metrics that you mentioned to judge success. Absolutely, you just don't do it for the fun of it. But, that said, I know multi, multi-million dollar companies or billion dollar companies who do, and my record, by the way, is 223 proofs of concept that went nowhere and that was down to just pure giddy excitement where everybody had to be seen to be doing something and that meant they didn't actually. You know, sharpen the knife and target it at the right place.

Speaker 1: 13:43

So I think, you and I can easily teach people. You know how to actually have successful AI programs, how to combine great people with great empathy with all of this automation, digital data and everything else technology which is key for HR and L&D professionals and everyone else in the business with, dare I say, claire, relative ease.

Speaker 2: 14:04

Yeah, yeah, I mean this if it excites you to think about this and even if it doesn't, but you know you need to get a handle on it. It can be the right application for anyone and there there will not be circumstances in your organization. You know they're not going to be departments or areas that you cannot apply it to. It's about how you do it. It's about what you're applying it to in that context and what's going to work well, and I think that's probably where some of those mit failures have come. They've tried to replace told departments maybe with certain creative solutions, and it hasn't went well.

Speaker 2: 14:41

But we you and I both said it the basis of the success is in the planning. So if you don't know how to identify the opportunities, if you don't even know what tools are available to you because I know that's something you're going to talk about on our course as well and if you, if you cannot marry those all up to your strategy and understand how is that going to impact my business? Is it actually even worthwhile in investing in that particular task or creating something in that area? Should I look, maybe, somewhere else? If you can't do that and successfully plan it, then you are doomed to start, so anyone can learn on this course plan it, then you are doomed to start, so anyone can learn on this course.

Speaker 1: 15:19

What did someone say you? Know, fail to plan plan to fail, and it's so true. It doesn't matter technology or not and it happens everything it does everything so that that 90, 95 feel we could apply to lots of things yeah but the good news is look, in addition to the fact we're running a training course, did we mention that there's a budget and there's a technology for everyone that makes this more affordable than ever?

Speaker 2: 15:39

which means, if you are a.

Speaker 1: 15:40

HR and L&D professional and want to get started. With hybrid work, with better work practices, putting an AI integration strategy or automation or data analytics strategy into play, all that gorgeously is possible today. With the right training and with the right direction, you can be successful, be other than one of the mit 90. Trust me, that's not as difficult as it actually sounds claire. Until we we get to our next podcast and in front of people training. I will see you next time. Thanks, bye.