by admin | Oct 3, 2019 | Hot Topics, Human Resources
Artificial intelligence is pushing humans and machines closer together. It’s exciting! AI’s influences are being felt across the HR space… being used to automate business processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce bias among other things. In fact, McKinsey’s latest forecast of AI’s impact on the global economy is that it will generate $13 trillion in economic activity across the globe by 2030.
But, there is room for improvement, and top executives want it yesterday. A recent survey from PricewaterhouseCooper found 72% of executives believe AI will offer sizable business advantages in the near future. In another survey from IBM, 66% of CEOs believe AI can drive significant value in HR. Some are already exploring those opportunities. Uber, for instance, completed the world’s first cargo shipment using a truck controlled by AI!
State of AI in HR
AI as a Tool
The inclusion of artificial intelligence in the HR professional’s toolbox is not surprising. When looking for answers, look no further than the iPhone, for instance, or the black, cylindrical Echo tower sitting on the counter. Whether its Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Echo, people are using artificial intelligence at home in their day-to-day lives. It makes sense, then, that AI has made it into the workplace.
In most professional settings, AI is not required to do mundane tasks like answer questions about the weather or turn on the lights. Instead, AI is asked to do much more.
Reducing Human Bias
Humans are inherently bias. Even when striving for inclusiveness, HR professionals may subconsciously lean toward a particular candidate… for instance, someone who is more like the recruiter. Another potential bias, language bias; people’s subconscious word associations could indicate a particular preference.
Now, thanks to AI, algorithms can be designed to help employers identify and remove these biases. That potentially translates to better hiring communications and attracting a more diverse group of candidates. Those same algorithms can also find candidates who may have been screened out due to human bias. To put it in context, AI allows managers to go beyond gut feelings and rely on data-driving assessments.
AI Automation
AI is being used in HR to automate repetitive, low-value tasks thus increasing the focus on more strategic work. AI tools automate common HR tasks like benefits management or handling common questions or requests.
Recruiting through AI
Custom experiences are expected by applicants. These are tailored to unique needs as they apply for a new job, choose the right benefits or explore development opportunities.
Companies have implemented “AI recruiters” to automate scheduling interviews, provide ongoing feedback to candidates and answer their questions in real time. This allows human recruiters to spend more time converting candidates to hires.
Retention
Some companies are using AI platforms to single out employees that may be heading for the exit door. Those platforms track employee computer activity, emails, keystrokes, internet browsing and so on and store it. Then AI analyzes the data to determine a baseline of normal activity patterns in the organization. Based on that knowledge, outliers are flagged and reported to the employer. AI is also being used to detect changes in the overall tone of employees’ communications to predict when employees might be thinking of leaving.
AI Makes HR More Human
At some point in the career of an HR professional the question is asked: how can human resources become more human? At least one company believes it has the answer. Best Buy Canada says it’s to add more machines. Chris Taylor is the chief human resources officer for Best Buy Canada. He has gone on record saying the embracing of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in human capital management is a “mandatory investment in the future.”
So, why add more machines to make HR more human?
The automation of tasks through AI technology allows for the freeing of HR professionals to focus on uniquely human abilities such as critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. While they are involved with the more human tasks, technology, at the moment, can handle the more mundane tasks.
All of that said, in a lot of ways artificial intelligence is still growing and learning itself.
What does that statement mean? AI is able to search a query based on the words you are using and give you a response, but that response isn’t contextual.
AI is heading in that direction though.
Instead of writing responses specifically to specific inputs… you just have a huge database of language around a specific knowledge domain and the AI can go into that knowledge domain and answer the questions from the user.
HR professionals interested in pursuing AI want it to do much more than answer questions and rummage through applications. They want to use it as a learning platform.
But it’s not there yet.
AI can teach itself to do something, but it’s not at the stage it can replace humans beings as the “drivers of education.” In the future, it may be used that way, but it would require a lot of adaptability.
Taylor says Best Buy Canada is embracing as much technology as they can get their hands on. For instance, the company has started investing in cloud-based solution that uses artificial intelligence, voice technology and machine learning. All of these technologies, Best Buy Canada hopes, will better the employee experience.
Conclusion
As much as the HR technology landscape continues to be disrupted by AI, HR teams must find ways to balance these advancements with transparency. It is essential in making sure the implementation of AI technology is successful. At the end of the day, artificial intelligence is not the end-all-be-all answer to every quandary HR finds itself in. It is a tool and nothing more. A tool that can improperly function based on the data it is given in order to work effectively. Even so, artificial intelligence can be a valuable resource. Work to embrace it now because it’s likely you’ll be expected to use it in the future.
By Mason Stevenson
Originally posted on hrexchangenetwork.com
by admin | Sep 18, 2019 | Hot Topics, Human Resources
Employee training programs are beneficial to organizations of varying sizes. Even small companies can improve customer service skills. Large organizations often need training programs specifically targeted to employee development and changing technologies. The Society for Human Resource Management says that offering training programs to employees helps the employee feel more engaged and committed to the organization. Implement an employee training program in your organization to improve job morale and teach new skills.
Analyze your organizational needs. Interview managers and supervisors and identify employee performance areas that need strengthening. Review employee performance appraisals to locate common performance problems. Call the human resources department of similarly sized and focused organizations and ask what training programs have been valuable to them.
Present your research findings to the committee or the company’s leadership team. Prepare a detailed presentation and be prepared to answer questions. Outline the benefits of each proposed program, anticipated costs and time requirements. Demonstrate the need for each program by preparing detailed analysis of problem areas and possible solutions. Ask for input, suggestions and changes.
Finalize your plan and determine your budget for the next fiscal year. Request funds using your company’s budgeting process. When calculating your employee training budget, include materials, travel, speaker fees, computer access charges and food in the budgeted amount. Ask for funds before the fiscal year begins rather than requesting unbudgeted money during the fiscal year.
Take the total budget and allocate the funds by department, per employee or per training program, recommends the American Society for Training and Development. Consider the benefits you expect from each training program and decide if the cost of the program will give you the desired results. Decide if training programs will be required or optional.
List the training classes you will offer over the next year. Divide the classes by type and employee attendance. Prepare a schedule and publish it on your company’s intranet. If possible, allow employees to sign up electronically to save valuable personnel time. Be sensitive to departmental schedules and work flow.
Contract with outside firms or select and internal trainer to provide training. Call the potential trainer’s references and verify that his materials and presentation style fit your needs. Ask him to give you samples of his work, a quote of his complete fees and a list of any needed equipment. Outsourcing training can save money when you consider the administrative and program costs.
Select an internal trainer for training programs you will handle. Ask an employee with expertise in the field to teach a class or utilize member of your company’s human resources department. Set clear expectations of class content and have a feedback system in place. Consider extra compensation if training is not part of the employee’s job description.
Evaluate the success of each program immediately after the program’s completion. Ask the participants to fill out prepared evaluation forms. Analyze the comments to plan for further training. Follow-up with supervisors during the year to gauge the continued effectiveness of the training programs.
by Diane Lynn
Originally posted on Livestrong.com
by admin | Sep 3, 2019 | Employee Benefits, Hot Topics
Let’s say you are getting ready to make your favorite breakfast—avocado toast. You’ve toasted the bread, cut the avocado in half, and are ready to remove the dreaded pit. Of course, your knife slips and you end up slicing your hand—making you the latest victim of “avocado hand.” It seems you cannot stop the bleeding with a simple bandage so now you need to make the decision on where to go to seek help. Do you choose an urgent care facility or the emergency room? What’s the difference?
Urgent care centers and emergency rooms are both great options for times when you are unable to see your primary care physician (PCP). The reasons for choosing these facilities can be because the injury or sickness has occurred outside normal office hours for your doctor or that you are out of town when an emergency hits. As you know, the first choice for non-life or limb-threatening conditions should be your regular doctor—they will have your medical history on file and your medication list at the ready. When this is not an option, you will need to make the choice on what level of care you need.
Urgent Care Centers
Urgent care centers fill the gap between when you are sick or minorly injured but cannot see your PCP and when you are in need of hospital emergency care. Most urgent care locations are staffed by doctors or physician’s assistants. These centers can get you in and out quickly and some even take appointments. Since you will not see your PCP at these clinics, it’s always best to bring a copy of all the medications and dosages of meds you take. If you have a special condition, like epilepsy, make sure you disclose that to the urgent care provider you see. In the case of your avocado hand, your urgent care physician may be able to do minor stitches and bandaging at the facility. Most have access to x-ray machines and basic diagnostic tests. The typical range of costs for care at these centers is between $50-$150.
Here are some conditions that typically can be seen at urgent care centers:
- Fevers, flu or cold symptoms
- Ear infections
- Bronchitis
- Cuts and bleeding that may require stitches
- Urinary tract infections
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Minor back pain
Emergency Room Care
Hospital emergency rooms provide care for life and limb-threatening situations ranging from heart attack and stroke to car accident injuries. Staffed by physicians, nurses, and specialists, emergency rooms have access to highly knowledgeable and diverse medical teams. In emergency rooms, care is given to the most serious injury/illness first—not on a first-come, first-served basis. Because of this, wait times in emergency rooms are widely varied and may be into a several hours-long wait. Again, it is wise to bring a list of any medications, both prescribed and over-the-counter, with you when seeking care since the ER will not have this information from your PCP. Costs for emergency services can be anywhere from $50 to more than $10,000 depending on the severity of the injury or illness.
Symptoms that are best evaluated in an emergency room include:
- Chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Weakness/numbness on one side
- Slurred speech
- Fainting/change in mental state
- Serious burns
- Head or eye injury
- Concussion/confusion
- Broken bones and dislocated joints
- Fever with a rash
- Seizures
- Severe cuts that may require stitches
- Facial lacerations
- Severe cold or flu symptoms
- Vaginal bleeding with pregnancy
When faced with the decision to visit an urgent care center or emergency room, you have to first evaluate your symptoms. Once you have done this, ask yourself this question, “Does this condition have the possibility of permanently impairing or endangering your life?” If the answer is “yes,” then you have an emergency and should proceed to the nearest hospital ER. If the answer is “no,” then take your towel-wrapped avocado hand to your local urgent care center for stitches or whatever care they recommend. You will save yourself time and money by making a good choice on your care.
by admin | Aug 22, 2019 | Hot Topics
There’s no denying that summer has arrived. In fact, the news has been abuzz with Alaska’s heat wave in July that sent temperatures soaring between 20 and 30 degrees above average. When you are caught in the middle of a heat wave, it may seem like there’s nothing you can do to keep cool. But, there are ways for you to beat the heat this summer and stay safe from heat related illnesses.
Avoid the Heat
It may seem like a no-brainer to avoid the heat to prevent a heat related illness but some professions work solely outdoors. In those cases, there aren’t many options for avoiding the heat. Be aware of the hottest time of day and limit physical activity outside during that time.
Reduce Activity Levels
Plan the most active job of the day to be in the morning when the sun and heat aren’t as intense. Heatstroke can occur when a person engages in strenuous activity for long periods of time in the heat. If possible, arrange workflows to include times of rest and times to visit a cooling station.
Drink Fluids Regularly
The underlying factor in most heat related illness is the inadequate supply of fluids for your body, in other words, drink more water! Heavy sweating depletes a person’s body of fluid and salt and this in turn can cause heat cramps and heat exhaustion. If this occurs, drink cool water or an electrolyte-replacement beverage like Gatorade. To prevent these two illnesses, drink plenty of water before you know you will be outside in the heat so that your body has sufficient fluids in reserve.
Have a Buddy System
When you know you will working outside or even playing outside in the heat of the day, make sure you have someone with you. If you should experience a heat related illness while alone, there would be no one available to offer first aid or call for help. As in the case of heatstroke, confusion and weakness along with fainting and possibly convulsions could occur. These are all series symptoms and require immediate action for treatment. The buddy system gives you a safety net of someone else who can recognize these symptoms and can act to save them.
Take a Dip!
The best way to beat the heat is by cooling off your body. Not everyone has access to a pool when spending time outside in the heat so if that’s the case, use cold compresses or ice and ice packs to lower body temperature. You can also remove excess clothing and spray your body with cool water. If you do have someone with you and you are experiencing a heat related illness, make sure they are watching you if you jump into a pool.
By following these easy tips to beat the heat you can safely be outside when temperatures are at their peak. Enjoy your summer and stay cool!
by admin | Jul 23, 2019 | Health & Wellness, Hot Topics
Growing up can be tough. The challenges of school, relationships with friends, sports and other activities can be stressful for children. Peer pressure, along with what they see and hear daily via social media, TV, movies and video games, can cause them to stress out about how they look. Comparing themselves with their friends—or, worse, with supermodels, movie stars, or pro athletes—can then lead to a negative body image.
- An obsession with their size, shape, weight, and muscles (or lack there of)
- Spending time looking in the mirror looking for and pointing out flaws they think they see
- Talking negatively about themselves
- Constantly looking for ways to improve their looks
- Comparing themselves with others
If you know a child who’s struggling with their body image, here are some things you can do to help:
- Start a discussion about body image.
- Talk about the messages we get through media.
- Try to avoid using judgmental terms like “fat” or “skinny.”
- Stress the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
- Support their efforts and praise achievements.
- Set a good example
If you think there’s a serious problem
When a child or adolescent has serious issues about the way they see themselves, it can lead to depression, negative behaviors, and eating disorders. Watch for these signs:
- Skipping meals, fasting, constant dieting, or binge eating
- Obsessive exercise/weight training
- Using diet pills or laxatives for losing weight or growth hormones for developing muscle mass
If you think your child has or may have an eating disorder or other serious body image issue, talk to a doctor or health care professional. Getting the right treatment can make all the difference.
By Bill Olson
Originally posted on ubabenefits.com
by admin | May 8, 2019 | Hot Topics, Retirement
First off, great job on buying life insurance! You took an important step by protecting the ones you love.
Every life insurance policy requires you to name a beneficiary. A life insurance beneficiary is typically the person or people who get the payout on your life insurance policy after you die; it may also be a trust, charity or your estate.
You can also name more than one beneficiary, as well as the percentage of the payout you want to go to each one—for instance, you could designate 50% to a spouse and 50% to an adult child.
You’ll typically be asked to pick two kinds of beneficiaries: a primary and a secondary. The secondary beneficiary (also called a “contingent beneficiary”) receives the payout if the primary beneficiary is deceased.
Providing for Kids
A big reason why people buy life insurance is to provide for children left behind. Usually this is done by making the surviving spouse or partner who cares for and is raising the kids the beneficiary. But what if you’re widowed or—God forbid—-both you and your partner pass away at the same time?
First, know that it’s not a good idea to name a minor as a beneficiary. That’s because the law forbids life insurance payouts to anyone who has not reached the age of majority, which is 18 to 21 depending on your state. If a child were to be named, then it would be turned over to probate court. The court will name a guardian who has oversight of the money/estate until the child comes of age.
Fortunately, there are two options. The first is to name an adult custodian. The custodian should be someone you can trust to use the money for things like housing, health care, and education until the child reaches the age of majority. At that point, any remaining money gets turned over the child and they can spend it any way they want.
The second option is to work with an attorney to set up a trust. In this scenario, the trust is the beneficiary and a trustee is named to manage and distribute the funds. The main advantage of a trust over naming a custodian is having more control.
A trust lets you specify how you want the money distributed—and it lets you do so even when your kids are adults. (One quick word of caution: Definitely consult with an attorney if you’re setting up a trust for a special needs child. They can help you create one that doesn’t impact your child’s eligibility for government assistance like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income.)
Naming a Charity
Do you have a cause that’s near and dear to your heart? If so, you might consider naming a charitable organization as the beneficiary of your life insurance.
There are several ways to do this. They include naming the charity as a beneficiary on a new or existing life insurance policy, making the charity both the owner and the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, adding a charitable-giving rider to a life insurance policy, or working with a community foundation to figure out the best way to distribute a payout.
Final Tips
Think carefully about naming your estate as a beneficiary. This can trigger a long and costly legal process known as probate. A faster and more efficient solution is to name specific individuals or organizations as beneficiaries.
1. Get specific. Instead of naming “my spouse” or “my children” as beneficiaries, list their names along with their addresses and Social Security numbers. This saves a lot of time since the insurance company doesn’t have to track down information.
2. Always name a contingent beneficiary. Passing away and leaving behind life insurance without a living beneficiary could mean the payout goes to someone you never wanted your policy to benefit. It could also require a court-appointed administrator to sort things out.
3. Pick trustworthy custodians and trustees. Really consider who’d you trust your child’s financial well-being with if you weren’t in the picture. Your kids may love their uncle or aunt, but is he or she mature and responsible with money? If not, pick someone else who is.
4. Regularly review your beneficiaries. It’s a good idea to review your beneficiaries about once a year and after major life events like a marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or a death in the family.
5. Communicate your wishes. Let your beneficiaries know your intentions and how to find the policy.
6. Be aware of special situations. There are some situations that could trigger a tax on the life insurance benefit—for instance, when the policyholder and the insured aren’t the same person. Likewise, things can get sticky if you live in a community property state and don’t name your spouse as a beneficiary. An insurance agent can give you life insurance advice on this and much more.
By Amanda Austin
Originally posted on lifehappens.org
