By Trisha Plovie, Senior Vice President, Future of Work, Robert Half

Business leaders bullish on AI are looking for the productivity gains it promises. Employees are optimistic too, with 63% of Gen Z and 57% of millennials saying they believe generative AI will have a positive impact on their career. Just 14% of workers of any age worry it could make their skills obsolete.

Still, AI in the workplace will remain a significant organizational culture issue, and as such, it should be approached as a human, not technological, transformation.

As organizations start to wade deeper into the waters of generative AI, I’d like to offer some tips to help ease the transition for workers and help them use these remarkable tools to their — and the company’s —advantage.

1.  Openly communicate about the company's AI initiatives, including their goals, limitations and potential impact on staff. Provide regular updates — including AI-driven wins and discoveries — and let employees ask questions and express concerns.

2. Offer training and resources to help employees understand AI technology, its benefits and its limitations. This can include explaining how AI works, dispelling common myths and misconceptions, and discussing ethical and legal considerations.

3. Develop and share clear guidelines for AI use within the organization. These guidelines should cover inclusion, fairness, transparency, accountability and respect for privacy. Involve employees in the development of these guidelines to ensure their concerns are taken into account.

4. Prioritize privacy and security. Show employees how to exercise caution when entering data into these generative AI platforms.

5. Involve employees in the AI development process whenever possible. Encourage them to contribute ideas, feedback and suggestions to make AI systems more effective and aligned with their needs. This involvement can help employees feel empowered and reduce fears of being replaced.

6. Prioritize ethical AI practices, such as avoiding biased data sets, conducting regular audits of AI systems and ensuring transparency in decision-making processes. Communicate to employees all the measures you’re taking to mitigate biases and errors in AI algorithms and avoid creating new ones.

7. Foster a supportive environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns, ask questions and provide feedback about generative AI technologies in use. Create channels for anonymous reporting of ethical concerns related to AI — and take them very seriously.

8. Most importantly, create a pathway for employees to upskill and reskill so you can retain the talent you’ve worked so hard to develop in your organization. Our data show employees would rather stay with their company and train for another position than leave when their job becomes automated.

See Trisha’s previous post in the series, In Careful Hands, Generative AI Is an Engine for Business Success