Without an AI strategy, benefits leaders and company personnel are going to find themselves at the back of the pack. To be successful, businesses need to embrace the unknown with a bold but balanced approach to
"Every major company in the world right now is racing to become an AI-driven enterprise," says Siobhan Savage, CEO of AI reskilling platform Reejig. "These companies are chasing the promise of innovation, efficiency, and speed. We're saying, 'Yes, absolutely, be bold, but while you're being bold, be a leader who's going to be responsible and make sure that no one is left behind.'"
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But right now, employees are feeling
Employees are scared of what they don't know, Savage says, and employers should spend time communicating their goals for AI implementation — how it will benefit both the organization as well as employees themselves. In many instances, AI is being brought in to accomplish administrative tasks that take unnecessary time out of people's days, but if they lack the confidence to use it, it's a worthless investment.
"This sort of AI amplification of the employee is not a negative," Savage says. "If companies use this in the right way, this could free folks up to be home with their families and to do the most innovative parts of their job, not those tasks that no one really wants to do."
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Reejig partners with employers to figure out how AI can improve both employee performance and experience, and has worked with companies such as Microsoft, Deloitte and IKEA. Using 41 million data points, it recently created complimentary blueprints for 23 different industries that break down projected AI automation opportunities for individual roles, estimates in job efficiency increase, reskilling opportunity pathways for employees, and time to benefit realization, among other things. It also has a product for employees which lays out different roles they could potentially move into, and what skills are required to get there.
Savage explains that the transition to AI automation in the workplace is a multi-phase process, and companies should start investing in the process now at the risk of falling behind the curve. Along the way, leadership from all departments should be kept up to speed on the plans for implementation, and given a seat at the table where discussions and decision making take place.
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At the management level, anyone responsible for overseeing teams using AI technology should be given a roadmap of short and long-term plans, and how their department will be impacted. They should also be trained on how to manage not only their people, but any AI agents brought on board, as well. In short, companies that will have the most success with AI integration are those that view people as their greatest asset, and AI as a tool to improve how employees work, Savage says.
"Let's do it in a way where you've got your AI strategy directly linked to your talent and your workforce strategy," she says. "For every role that you impact [with AI], you pivot folks into meaningful work."
