Amidst the proliferation of AI across the industry, HR leaders have an opportunity to play a key role in preparing employees for the future of work and ensuring responsible deployment of automation technology.
By Simon Kent
Progress can be challenging, particularly when it comes to technology. As the world becomes more impressed and indeed worried by what technology can do, HR leaders need to be clear and direct about what they want from technology, how they’re going to get it, and what the result will be. If HR is to achieve any of that, it needs to create and follow a clear technology blueprint.
“A technology strategy should be a road map that balances the understanding of current workforce skills with the ability to forecast future needs, ensuring alignment with the company’s growth ambitions,” says Michael Doolin, CEO of Clover HR. “It should support effective workforce planning on a daily basis while also anticipating long-term recruitment and retention challenges, both on home soil and internationally.
“The strategy should be driven primarily by business needs, ensuring that technological advancements serve as enablers rather than the driving force,” says Doolin. “Furthermore, the HR strategy should also align with and support these business objectives, leveraging technology where it adds value like enhancing efficiency, improving workforce management, and enabling smarter decision-making. The focus should remain on sustainable growth and adaptability, rather than adopting technology for its own sake.”
So far so straight-forward, perhaps. Except that the workplace and technology itself is changing quickly and significantly.
As April Whitson, global division vice president of human resources at ABB Process Industries, notes, HR technology cannot exist in a vacuum. It needs to serve a real and sometimes very demanding workplace. “Each HR team within ABB supports thousands of employees, so our approach must empower leaders by equipping them with the tools and insights they need to drive meaningful change,” she says. Such an approach must be dynamic, continuously evolving to keep pace with shifting workforce expectations.
“Any AI tools being utilised must be continuously monitored and refined to ensure proper alignment with regulations and company values. Without human oversight, AI-generated insights can deteriorate over time, leading to unintended consequences. Regular updates and ethical consideration must therefore remain central.” – Sirsha Haldar, ADP
“One of the biggest challenges today is adapting to generational shifts, particularly in traditional industries, where hesitation to embrace Gen Z talent can lead to stagnation,” Whitson continues. “This new generation brings adaptability, digital fluency, and a drive to make an impact, yet they are at risk of being held back in the workplace by outdated and unfounded preconceptions about their work ethic and motivation. Implementing the right tech can play a crucial role in breaking down these barriers, providing data-driven insights into emerging skill sets, tracking engagement trends, and equipping leaders with the tools to nurture and develop diverse talent.”
Alongside changes in the workforce are significant and headline-grabbing changes in the technology itself. AI is reshaping the HR sector says Sirsha Haldar, general manager, Northern Europe at ADP, and as it does so, it is making specific and far-reaching demands on HR tech strategy. Implemented correctly, technology can make hiring more efficient, enhance decision-making, and optimise workforce management. But, this is only possible when the tech is guided by rigorous oversight, fairness, and transparency, Haldar says.
This is particularly the case with AI. “Any AI tools being utilised must be continuously monitored and refined to ensure proper alignment with regulations and company values,” explains Haldar. “Without human oversight, AI-generated insights can deteriorate over time, leading to unintended consequences. Regular updates and ethical consideration must therefore remain central.”
Dealing with people data also means security must also be given top priority within HR systems, but Haldar says AI-driven processes has made these concerns more complex. “Security isn’t just about meeting legal requirements, it is about setting high standards that go beyond compliance,” says Haldar. “AI systems should be built with privacy as a priority from day one, not as an afterthought. Security protocols, which prevent unauthorised access, data breaches, and intellectual property risks should all be implemented, and AI systems must respect privacy regulations to ensure users’ trust.”
“It’s about intimately understanding their needs and identifying where the human touch matters most. The key is to leverage digital solutions to enhance the human experience, ensuring that automation and AI streamline processes while still allowing for meaningful human interactions where they’re needed most.” – Tia Millar, Safeguard Global
Despite the proliferation of technology across the sector, Tia Millar, chief product officer, Safeguard Global, notes that human capital is still fundamentally about people, which means that must be the primary focus of any technology or strategy. Her approach offers an analysis of what’s out there, fundamentally filtered through the needs of the HR function.
“It’s about intimately understanding their needs and identifying where the human touch matters most,” she says. Technology should be an enabler, not a replacement. “The key is to leverage digital solutions to enhance the human experience, ensuring that automation and AI streamline processes while still allowing for meaningful human interactions where they’re needed most.”
Millar advocates multiple time horizons to govern a strategy. There should be a long-term vision of five years or so, but also an annual and even quarterly reviews to ensure technology stays relevant and the overall plan stays on track. “The reality is that technology is evolving fast,” she says, “and it’s fundamentally changing the way people work and the types of roles they perform.”
What emerges here is that, alongside the timetables and reviews, HR needs to be ready to change and adapt according to organisation demands and the potential of IT. “Agility is essential,” says Doolin, “enabling HR to adapt to shifting business priorities and external factors such as economic changes and evolving job market demands.” Continuous evaluation is key, he adds, because what defines excellence today may not be the same next year.
Beyond the processing and underpinning role of technology, HR should also consider that technology is changing the jobs people are doing. As Millar notes, AI is already shifting the nature of many roles meaning HR leaders need to rethink training and development strategies. “As AI takes over repetitive tasks, employees will need new skills to work alongside AI-powered tools,” she says. “This shift creates an opportunity for HR to play a strategic role in preparing workforces for the future by ensuring employees have access to the right upskilling and reskilling programs.”
In the early days, technology was more of a late comer to HR, a quicker solution to the more data-rich disciplines in company life. Today, however, technology is not just there to support the function, it is changing what the function needs to do—influencing the type of challenges HR is faced with as well as offering ways to cope with those changes. In this context HR’s strategy needs to be as wide as it is deep, building and retaining an ongoing understanding of the road ahead.
