0:00 Meet Neil — what a normal day in People actually looks like

0:21 The AI trigger: the stakes are high

0:51 The strategic question: layer on top, or fundamentally change what we do?

1:15 The cost of doing nothing: there will be consequences

2:06 AI Surge Week: what it was, how it worked, and how it was staged

2:49 The bump: the feedback that stung

3:12 The advice: pause, and meet people where they are

3:54 The people side of AI: two feelings at once

4:21 The employee opportunity: the cost of iteration is zero

4:45 The personal angle: what makes Neil nervous

5:11 The takeaway: what AI changes about an HR leader’s role

Hi Neil!

Hey, how’re you doing?

Before we get into HR's role in AI — what does a normal day look like for you?

It can completely vary. I lead our People Business Partner team. One day I could be working with our execs or leaders on talent strategy or people strategy. The next day, I could be working with a people manager on a challenge with their team. So it's really varied.

What made it clear that HR needed to take ownership of how AI was being adopted?

The stakes are quite high with it, especially when we're dealing with sensitive data or employee data. We have a responsibility to make sure we have rigor and governance around the process. So it’s really important we step in there.

What have you heard from employees that surprised you?

I think one of the things that really surprised us was the curiosity they had and how much they could start to weave AI into their existing processes or workflows. There was a real appetite to experiment with some of these things. But I think the pace of that really surprised us.

What's the biggest strategic question HR leaders should be asking about AI?

There was a pivotal moment that struck us, which is: how big do we want to go with adoption of some of these tools and technology? Do we want it just to be a layer that exists on top of an existing process that we have, and it makes that machine run faster? Or do we actually want it to fundamentally help change what we do, and what work we actually do within the company?

What's the actual cost if a company decides to just sit this one out and do nothing?

Doing nothing is a perfectly valid thing, for some companies. We see and feel that a lot when we go to events: that some people feel that ‘this won’t impact me, or my company, or my industry’. I personally don't agree with that. I think on multiple levels there's consequences for doing nothing or getting this wrong. From a company level, I think customers and users are looking to companies to really adopt this technology to help make their lives and experiences easier and better. And then from an employee perspective, they're really curious and they want to use this technology. So they're looking for companies that are investing in their learning and development in this space. So on any of those levels, if we get this wrong or don’t take action, then I think there's going to be consequences.

What did your team put in place to help people get to grips with AI?

We actually did something called AI Surge Week, internally, which was a week dedicated to learning about AI. We encouraged everybody to decline non-essential meetings, and really take the time to invest in their own learning and development in the technology.

We started off with a 101, foundational baseline for everybody to make sure we at least had a working understanding of what the technology is and what the capabilities are, because everybody's coming at it from a slightly different degree of experience or perspective. And then as the week went on, we started doing more tailored things. So our engineering teams were more focused on the technical aspect, whereas our sales and support teams were looking at things like the customer journey, or the customer lifecycle.

What feedback stung a bit, but helped in the end?

The biggest piece of feedback that we've had is that we're not doing enough with AI and automation. Certainly from an employee base, they're looking for us to experiment more and bring more tools into their day to day and help them adopt this technology. So it's a bit of an eye opener for us that we need to keep up with the times and move really fast here.

What would you tell an HR leader in the middle of this right now?

I think the advice I'd give is probably to pause or slow down a bit and start to think about some of the actual problems you're trying to solve or what you're trying to use AI for. There's a lot of noise at the moment, but actually trying to think about some of the challenges you have in your organisation, and trying to apply AI to those is probably the best advice I can give.

What would you tell an HR leader to stop doing this week?

I think I'd tell them to stop assuming that everybody is at the same place when it comes to their AI understanding or education around the systems. Everybody is in a different place. So really try to meet employees where they are, and tailor some of the learning and development you're doing to that audience.

What do you wish leaders understood about the people side of AI change?

I think that’s a really interesting one. There's definitely a human side to it. There's polarizing emotions. Some people are saying they’re excited but scared, optimistic but apprehensive. And sometimes those emotions work in conflict, sometimes they work in concert with each other. And it's okay to feel those different things. For leaders, I’d recommend really being tuned into that: people can feel different things at different times.

And, what do you wish more employees understood about this shift?

I think just leaning in to what is possible. You know, if I think about an employee’s craft now, the cost of iteration is practically zero. So they could do one piece of work and then maybe get 5 or 6 different versions of that within seconds to help them refine and produce better outcomes and output. So I think really leaning into that art of the possible is something that I'd really encourage employees to do.

Is there part of this that makes you personally nervous, and how do you manage that?

I think leaders feel the same too; we're all human beings. Human beings are often hard wired to resist change. And AI is changing everything in work really, really fast. So I definitely feel those mixed emotions, too. Some days I'm really excited by it. Some days I'm really nervous about how fast it is shifting. So being tuned into that, and just accepting that everybody's on that journey together, is something I’d encourage for both leaders and employees.

What does AI change about how you think your role works now?

I think the value we can actually bring to leaders or managers within our companies is completely different. Before, HR functions were often seen as the team that knew things — you would come and get an answer back. So, subject matter experts. Whereas now, that information is quite easy to find. Now there's actually a lot more thought leadership and partnership around some more complex challenges. So it's enabling us to go a lot deeper into some of the challenges that we potentially couldn't before.

Neil, thank you so much!
Thank you!