Employee Recognition & AI: A Match Made in Heaven?

As every people person knows, employee recognition is a cornerstone of a thriving workplace culture - It boosts morale, motivates employees, and fosters a sense of belonging. However, the reality is, some (NOT ALL!) recognition programs can be time consuming and prone to bias which can see the same people being rewarded time and time again.

That my friends.. is where we look to AI.

Now, I'm not AI's biggest fan, believe me - but there are ways it can help to enhance and revolutionise employee recognition.

If you are looking for a personalised touch, algortihims can analyse employee data, such as performance mertics, work habits, even interactions on internal social sites, to identify achievements. This then allows for personalised recognition programs that resonate with the individual on a deeper level all based on their individual interests.

If you are looking to save time, you can use AI to automate routine recognition tasks, such as sending out your employee of the month awards or acknowledging birthdays - all these tiny tasks are taken care of which frees up your time to focus on the more strategtic initiatives - win win if you ask me?!

AI tools can also help you with bias mitigation, so it helps to elimate your unconcious bias through providing objective data and identifying potential blind spots; Improving your data driven insights by identifying trends, areas for improvement and measuring the effectiveness of your current recognition programs; And increasing your engagement overall, making recongition more personalised and impactful which (hopefully) in return, sees your rentention improved and your productivity increased.

Now, as I have said above, I am not AI's biggest fan, and as fancy as these tips and tricks are - we still have to be mindful. Just because AI can analyse your data, you still have to make sure the employee data you have is collected, stored and used responsibly; And yes, AI can help to eliminate your unconcious bias, but be aware of of an applications algorithmic bias and ensure you are mitigating any potential bias there.

The biggest consideration, for me anyhow, would be your employee buy in. It is essential to communicate the benefits of AI and how that can help, but be concious of the fact AI is a machine and you don't want to lose the human touch to your recognition.

Look, lets be really honest, even for those of us who are unsure of AI, it has the potential to revolutionise our recongition programmes and the employee experience by helping to create more rewarding and engaging cultures which movitvate and drive success. However, it is so crucial to implement these AI powered programs responsibly and ethically, ensuring there is still a human at the heart of it all.

Technology is there to be used and enhance, not to replace human interaction and connection all together.