As organizations quickly reimagine what the future of work looks like, a process that is reshaped nearly daily by tech advancements, HR is squarely in the crosshairs. How can HR rise to the occasion and lead, not just support, transformation in the age of AI?
Teuila Hanson, chief people officer at LinkedIn, says HR leaders will be more critical than ever to business strategizing in the coming months, as workforces navigate heightened uncertainty, demand for new skills and changing expectations about how work will get done in the future.
“Even though this feels like rapid change,” Hanson recently told HR Executive at LinkedIn’s Talent Connect conference in San Diego, “it’s incredibly important for leaders to be that place of inspiration, that place of normalcy and make sure they’re bringing their employees along. Focus on what you have control over.”
At LinkedIn, the HR team is focusing on three strategic areas to help the organization view transformation through a people-centric lens.
Culture: an anchor through change
Hanson calls organizational culture “critically important” to HR’s work in navigating transformation.
With AI upending jobs and roles and reshaping how people communicate and get work done, Hanson says it’s essential that workers are reminded of “what’s staying the same.”
“You can get in your head around change: What does this mean for me? What do I need to learn? What do I need to do differently?” she says. “So, it’s equally important to talk about what’s staying the same.”
Focus on core messaging around the strength of the culture, and how mission, vision and values are persisting, Hanson says.
“Talk about why people get excited about coming to work, what you’re creating. It’s so comforting to hear that, so even though this sometimes feels like a blender around us, we know what those cultural tenets are.”
Reducing the stigma around AI
Bringing talent along for tech-driven transformation will involve “normalizing” what it means to use AI in the workplace, Hanson says.
LinkedIn is working to show employees that when it comes to using AI, they “don’t have to hide it.” Within the HR function, team members can attend Plai Dates, where they’re encouraged to share the AI tools they’ve used and tips for making the most of the tech.
“We encourage them to learn, ask questions and get their hands dirty,” Hanson says.
The organization is deploying these ideas on a larger scale across LinkedIn through Human+ launchpad, an organization-wide initiative to enhance AI fluency across the company. Employees across levels and a range of AI familiarity are encouraged to watch demos, attend hackathons and try their hand with AI tools. Participants can receive badges and points through an internal rewards system to be recognized as AI Pioneers and earn prizes.
Hanson says the approach emphasizes to employees that they are still in the driver’s seat, despite the influence of AI. As employees work alongside AI, the relationship needs to be: “human + AI,” not “AI + human.”
“It’s so incredibly important to remind employees that being human and having human skills—that’s the richness that helps AI do the work,” she says. “AI should be in service of what we need to accomplish as humans and hopefully not the other way around.”
See also: 10 ways CHROs can strengthen people strategy in a changing workplace
AI’s empowerment potential
HR can also enable transformation by reframing AI’s value through a human lens.
AI is giving employees “tons of agency,” Hanson says, an idea that needs to be core to messaging around AI in the workplace. As the tools alleviate mundane aspects of a workload, they provide employees with new opportunities to take ownership and redefine their own work.
“I now have agency to think about my job in a completely different way,” she says. “Now, I can think about providing more value to my team, to my function. I can improve the workflow of not just myself, but everybody. That’s what ai is giving us: an opportunity to dream bigger, and get more exciting work done.”
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