By Cecile Alper-Leroux

Smart technologies powered by machine learning, natural language processing, augmented intelligence and distributed data collection interfaces are poised to transform the workplace and the world of HR leaders.

In this blog post, you will learn about the potential virtues of ambient HR and virtual reality experiences for the future of work. Read on to decide if HR is ready.

Note that, regardless of the technology, putting people first is a must. Employees today want it all… and so do their employers! Employees want managers who truly listen to their needs, inspire them, and provide them with a sense of purpose, while employers want highly engaged, creative, and productive contributors. With the help of these emerging HR technologies, both parties can win.

Augmented Intelligence, Human-Machine Interfaces, and Ambient HR People-first, people-centered, inter-connected technology that augments us.  

I’m not a huge fan of the newest buzzword, AI (Artificial Intelligence). It has negative connotations, evoking the deadly HAL as well as the idea that insights from AI are somehow “artificial” or less than true. I prefer the more apt “augmented intelligence,” which is simply technology that mimics (not replaces) human cognitive processes, augmenting and extending human thought processing capabilities in terms of speed and volume data crunching, even avoiding putting humans in harm’s way.

“Ambient HR” refers to a future in which the ability of HR professionals to listen to the voice of employees (VoE) is increased by using distributed data collection touch points (think Google or Amazon Dots). These future technologies will help us advance beyond today’s latest “text-to-meaning” advanced natural language processing and machine-learning algorithms to uncover not only what employees are saying, but also how they feel about topics such as people practices, work environment, and leadership. In essence, allowing HR and managers to be in more than one place at a time, learning about the sentiment and “health of the organization” through distributed data-collection interfaces that capture human interactions with each other and with their surroundings.

The true benefits of these technologies will become most apparent in its ability to extend what a human could realistically do, hear, and process. We will literally be able to be in more than one place at a time, gathering input about how people feel and measuring the emotional health of your team—something a single leader could not possibly physically accomplish! This actual (albeit virtual) contact, and the ensuing insight, is invaluable for workers who crave more frequent and open communication.

Today’s workers want their leaders and organizations to hear their concerns, be open to more communication in the context of their work, and provide greater purpose and meaning in their work. (Refer to our 2016 research for more on this topic.) Such smart technologies as augmented intelligence and distributed technology that extends beyond mobile in the cloud have unleashed extraordinary possibilities for people at work.

The Rise of Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences 
A “day in the life” gets real. 

Wouldn’t we all love a crystal ball that we could look into to see what we are getting ourselves into? That is quickly becoming a reality—actually, a virtual reality.

Less than five years ago, virtual reality experiences were prohibitively expensive for organizations, other than gaming companies that could commercialize the experiences on a big scale. Today, creating a virtual reality experience is not only affordable for organizations (school districts are beginning to use virtual reality experiences to help elementary school children explore different careers), but it is an excellent way to connect with more tech-savvy candidates who want to be certain they are joining an organization that values technology (a recent study we conducted with  The Center for Generational Kinetics showed a third of U.S. workers would quit a job if their company used legacy technology).

If virtual reality changes how we see the entire world around us, augmented reality can change how we interact with it, blending reality and virtual reality seamlessly. Job candidates could be encouraged to see themselves in “their new office” while exchanging texts with future co-workers they are connected with on LinkedIn…all before they have accepted the job, helping to cement the deal.

Leaders are often told their people are their priority, though in the bustle of the day to day, that can be lost. Organizations focused on attracting and retaining their best people will have to begin adopting these tools or risk losing the hearts and minds of their people – ultimately affecting their bottom line.
 
 
For more of my thoughts on putting people first in the workplace, follow my musings 
on Ultimate Software’s Blog.
 
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About Cecile Alper-Leroux 

Cecile Alper-Leroux is Ultimate Software’s Vice President of Innovation. With more than 20 years’ experience in both national and global markets, Cecile is an internationally sought-out speaker, thought leader, and visionary on human capital management trends, hot topics, and global strategies.