Welcome to my Futurewise newsletter, where we will discuss the intersections of people, technology, and everything in between. You can learn more about me and what I do here.
IBM has always been at the forefront of embracing new technology, and this extends to our HR practices. In fact, our HR department was one of the first to integrate AI, being client-zero and setting an example for others. This early adoption ensures that our products and services are fine-tuned before they reach our clients, providing them with a seamless experience.
Over the past few years, IBM's HR strategy has shifted towards revolutionizing how work is conducted. Through a focus on eliminating unnecessary processes, simplifying tasks, and automating where possible, significant progress has been made across all HR functions. This strategic approach has pioneered AskHR, leading to a transformation in our HR model.
AskHR is the single-entry point for 24/7 HR support – and it’s a game-changer for IBM's HR global operations. We've completely redefined how we work, with digital workers powered by watsonx Orchestrate playing a crucial role. This model consists of two tiers of support: a digital tier, where employees and managers can interact with our AskHR chatbot for process and policy-related guidance. Managers can also undertake several transactions such as changing reporting lines and running employee reports which bring self-sufficiency and speed.
When the chatbot can’t help, tier two support comes into play. Tier two consists of HR Advisors providing more specific guidance on various topics, and HR Partners supporting managers on complex individual cases. In addition to regular HR support, the HR Partner organisation is particularly agile, creating squads for a specific purpose to drive outcomes in support of a business priority.
Through AskHR, employees can complete transactional tasks, resolve data requests and documentation, and find answers to policy, tool and process-related questions.
Let me give you an example of a transaction. I took some time off last month. Putting your vacations in the system is not something you do every day and navigating between systems can become challenging. Now, to record my vacation, I went to AskHR. It asked me my vacation dates and marked them in our HR system. I do not need to go to multiple systems anymore, AskHR does everything for me. What a fantastic employee experience! All the system complexity of having multiple tools for employees to deal with is now hidden within AskHR.
The adoption of this model has been widespread, with the virtual assistant resolving a significant portion of cases, allowing HR Partners to focus on strategic activities and more personalized tasks. This has resulted in increased efficiency and productivity across the board. With all this, while AI plays a significant role in HR transformation, it augments human capabilities rather than replacing them.
AskHR is not the only platform we use in IBM. In fact, with IBM’s own platform watsonx, the first real use case was employee promotions. We all know that the success of the promotion process is critical to develop and retain top talent. The process demanded significant time and labor, occupying up to 10 weeks of every quarter, impacting our HR Partner’s efficiency. Now, we have a digital worker: HiRo.
HiRo handles the tasks that used to take up a lot of time for IBM's HR Partners such as removing the need for manual spreadsheets. Instead, managers and leaders get an updated view of their employees' data, showing if they meet promotion criteria and what needs to be done by both employees and managers to meet basic requirements. With HiRo, 85% of HR Business Partner time are saved quarterly. They have more time to focus on strategic work and business needs.
Beyond HR partner support and HiRo, IBM has implemented around 280 AI and automation solutions. IBM watsonx can make HR better in every aspect – onboarding, learning and development, engagement, performance management, succession planning, analytics, and reporting. It helps new hires settle in with personalized help and virtual friends. It also makes learning more efficient with personalized learning paths. watsonx can even help improve employee engagement through sentiment analysis and assist performance management with predictive analytics and data-driven insights.
Now, with AI as our ally, our HR team is empowered to prioritize strategic initiatives, dedicating their efforts to reskilling and upskilling themselves alongside the entire organization. We harness the power of technology to unlock the full potential of our workforce. If you want to further understand how we do it and discover watsonx, you can book a strategy session with IBM on watsonx here.
The views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, company, or colleagues.