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Demystifying AI for HR Professionals
The team at Paylocity are good friends and collaborators of ours at HPC. We asked them to give you some insights into the different types of AI in the market and how they are applied. Like Shari says, AI is more than ChatGPT. In addition, Shari provides insights on how to evaluate AI tools for HR and how to get started with new technologies. Thank you Shari and Paylocity for your collaboration!

Technology does more than merely simplify routine tasks and complex calculations.

From the static of the first commercial radio broadcasts of the 1920s to the screech of an AOL dial-up in the 1990s to today’s familiar ‘da-dum’ of Netflix, technological advances have fundamentally changed how we experience our world.

Sometimes, the rate of change can be frightening. Still, in the past century, when technology has been moving forward at such a blistering pace, human curiosity has always taken up the challenge of striving further into the realization of thought into technology integration possibilities.

Nowhere is this truer than in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). While it’s been behind the scenes for years, 2023’s introduction of ChatGPT thrust AI into the public spotlight and our daily lives. But with opportunity always comes innovation, which raises ethical responsibility issues. HR should be no exception.

Our challenge is to shape a future where technology and AI enhance human well-being. Let’s start by breaking down what AI is and how we use it.

What Is AI and What’s It Doing in HR?

There’s more to AI than ChatGPT.

Here are some definitions and examples of how AI is used every day in life and at work.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): The science of building intelligent programs and machines to solve problems creatively. For example, a computer program designed to play chess or checkers.
- Machine Learning (ML): A subset of AI where systems learn to solve problems from experience without being explicitly programmed, like the recommendations on Netflix after learning about your viewing habits.
- Deep Learning (DL): It is a subset of ML that uses algorithms and a lot of information to discover intricate patterns in data by simulating the human brain. For example, how is it used in image recognition to find instances of cancer?
- Large Language Models: Advanced AI systems, purposively built to understand and generate human languages. These can be used for various things, like translation and summarization, and can generate text, so they are quite a powerful tool for natural language processing.
- Generative AI is a subcategory within LLM, where a new content type is generated, whether text or images, based on patterns learned from input data. While ChatGPT is one instance, another is automated customer response—chatbots.
It seems that most industries have started to integrate AI into their operations, if not already. Collaborative robots work with humans in manufacturing, and software helps retailers analyze in-store customer behavior. Employees might use AI to search the Internet or blur their backgrounds on video calls.

AI can elevate the role of HR in the following ways:
- Increasing time available for strategic work founded on deeper insights from data.
- Automating recruitment processes, such as a resume or application screening.
- Masking personally identifiable information or sort by keyword to reduce hiring bias.
- Enriching decision-making with people analytics, such as predicting turnover.
- Improving employee experience with digital tools like feedback loops, chatbots, virtual reality training, digital location walk-throughs
- Facilitating remote work with collaboration, employee monitoring, and training tools
- Personalizing learning and development recommendations
- Improving communications by use of sentiment analysis and generative AI to make the message more impactful
- Monitoring legal and compliance requirements.
It is important to note that none of these functions should run without human supervision. Anytime we use technology to help us manage people, we need to be very cautious and thoughtful.

What to Ask When Evaluating AI Tools for HR

Two of the top concerns for HR professionals considering the use of AI are bias and data privacy.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces laws prohibiting workplace discrimination. In many cases, an employer is responsible for its use of AI in employment decision-making, even if the tools are designed or administered by a software vendor. In other words, it’s up to the individual employer to mitigate bias in hiring, promotions, and terminations regardless of the technology used in the process.

Employers must also protect employees’ personally identifiable information (PII). Laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) give guidelines for collecting and storing personal data. Furthermore, businesses using open-sourced software like the free version of ChatGPT should caution employees not to upload sensitive company information.

Choosing a technology partner who is laser-focused on the ethical use of data is imperative to achieve AI’s true benefits for employees and HR. Ask vendors these questions about their commitment to AI ethics:
- How are your AI systems held accountable by humans?
- How do you provide transparency to AI users?
- How do you maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations?
- How do you stay current on AI technology and HR best practices?
- How do your AI systems help reduce potential bias?
Getting Started with AI in HR

If adapting to change is tough, helping an entire organization adapt to emerging technology can seem overwhelming. Use this framework to guide your company’s approach to using AI in HR.
1. Start small: Adopt generative AI for personal use at first. Try asking questions you know the answer to, so you can gauge how accurate it is. Then, get creative!
2. Conduct a market analysis: Identify and evaluate how AI is used in software solutions that make sense for your organization, like talent acquisition, workforce analytics, performance management, or employee engagement.
3. Understand the risks: Weigh the risks and benefits of implementing AI in HR for your company.
4. Plan: Map out how you’ll implement tools, assess data quality and availability, and monitor results.
5. Build a team: Leverage the expertise of others in the organization, such as IT and business continuity.
6. Train employees: Create a schedule to train employees on how to use the new technology.
7. Provide clarity: Communicate transparently about your AI use and how you’ll help employees develop skills to leverage it ethically.
What’s Next for HR Technology?

Everybody wants to know! Yet, what we can gather is that technology will not stand still.

More likely AI trends in HR and the future include increased use of predictive analytics, augmented employee experiences, AI-driven wellness programs, and tools to manage remote teams effectively.

This is our chance, HR professionals and business leaders alike, to handle with responsibility what it means to manage the workforce humanely in the world of the future.

About Shari Simpson

Shari Simpson stands at the forefront of human resources, blending 20 years of rich experience with cutting-edge educational credentials. With an MBA, MHRM, Certificate in E-commerce Management, and SHRM-SCP, she is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Purdue. In addition, as the host of the HR Mixtape podcast, Shari shares invaluable insights with industry experts and establishes herself as a thought leader in HR. She is a guest speaker at local and national conferences, interacting with industry leaders about elevating the HR, Payroll, and Business sectors. Other than this, Shari is an adoring mother of three sons—one a veteran and two currently serving in the US Navy—a devoted dog mom and a consistent reader. Add to that, for the past 25 years, she has been married to a fire department Battalion Chief, which helps deepen her perspective on service and commitment. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharisimpson/

About Paylocity

As the award-winning, cloud-based HR and payroll software provider, Paylocity focuses on developing artificial intelligence to reduce friction in HR administration, improve communication effectiveness, engage employees, and increase productivity. Read our AI ethics statement.
July 30, 2024
Summer is Here – Do You Need a Vacation or a Rhythm?
Summer is in full swing. The days are long, the kids are out of school, and the office may not be quite as bustling as it usually is whether it’s the physical office space or your email inbox because people are taking vacation. Have you heard of slow productivity?

I myself just took a long vacation, kicking off the summer for two weeks at the beach, but working intermittently while there. It was a long spring, and for the first time our family was able to check out for more than the standard one week, once a year vacation and get away.

While there, I dove deeper into some of Cal Newport’s work around slow productivity. He postulates in his book Deep Work that there are four philosophies for deep work. The type of work you do, your natural disposition, and the season of life you are in all play into which one is best for you.

They are:
- The Monastic Approach- Eliminate all the shallow work you can to focus deeply on one thing
- The Bimodal Approach- Create clearly defined stretches for deep work and then back to regular routine for stretches of time
- The Rhythmic Approach- Daily deep work sessions that occur at consistent times each day
- The Journalist Approach- Fit in deep work when and where you can. To note, this approach is not for the novice of deep work!
Watch this cool video to get a good overview of these.

While I find something that is appealing in each one of these approaches, you, like me, may not be at a stage in life or working at a place or in a field where one or some of these are realistic.

Even though only one approach is called “rhythmic” all of them have some thought of a rhythm tied to them, and it takes some reflection on what rhythms work for you. And these may change overtime.

In looking at some of the research as well as my own experience, some thoughts on rhythms emerge to order to do deep work and do it well and consistently:

Daily Rhythms- To do your best work:
- Break every 50 min to an hour, get up and move around if you work with your mind, sit down and rest if you work with your hands
- Utilize time blocking techniques to complete tasks that take deep thought; batch work shallow work into a time block to get it done efficiently
- Honor the “trough” period of the day when your energy is lacking (most people’s is in the early afternoon) by scheduling shallow work or a break during this time
- For more great thoughts on daily rhythms and the research behind it, read When.
Weekly Rhythms– To do your best work:
- Take one hour to plan at the beginning of each week (or at the end of the previous week) to map out your “big rocks” for the week and schedule time to get deep work done
- I like to have one day a week that does not have any meetings or appointments scheduled to focus on deep work and catching up
- Get a Full Focus Planner to help you with the weekly rhythm and big rock setting
Monthly to Quarterly Rhythms- To do your best work:
- Reflect- What worked and what didn’t in the previous period? Celebrate what did.
- Refocus- Chart out goals for the upcoming period and block time for those that may require or need the bimodal approach for deep work if you are lucky enough to have the autonomy to deploy this approach.
- Again, use the Full Focus Planner to help with this. It operates on a quarterly model so it naturally helps you structure your thinking around reflecting and focusing.
Yearly Rhythms- To do your best work:
- Honor the seasons if your work has periods of intensity and down time and schedule accordingly; deploy the bimodal approach if you can.
- Our approach at HPC is every three years a sabbatical occurs for deep rest and deep reflection. This is a period of six to eight weeks of complete time off from work.
Overall, rhythms and slow productivity create the opportunity for reflection that helps foster deep and creative work. As the CEO of Airbnb Brian Chesky stated on Adam Grant’s podcast, if you don’t create rhythms, “you’re just on the treadmill and that gets boring and anxiety ridden fairly quickly.”

How do you create rhythms in your life to do work and do it well?
June 11, 2024
SPECIAL FEATURE: June Leadership Development Carnival

We are honored to host this month’s Leadership Development Carnival. At Horizon Point, we find that each month the carnival is filled with rich content to enhance your knowledge of Leadership. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!

Communication

Is Empathy Dying?
Sadly empathy seems to be dying. It can be devastating to relationships… both personal and professional. Learn why this is important and how you can reclaim it. — Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE (@macdarling)

Divided we fail, in dialogue we create the future
In this time of challenges we need dialogue and solutions but we see polarization. Also at work, you must take a stand. Are you pro or contra? Divided we fail, but through dialogue, we can solve our challenges and create the future. — Marcella Bremer (@MarcellaBremer)

The Power of Neutral Language: Time to Think First and Communicate Second
How do we minimize the number of regretful remarks we will make in the future– be they verbally, in writing, or through social media? How do we avoid saying something we might come to bemoan? My prescription? Think first, communicate second, and by doing so, change the language to something neutral. And, when we fail to do this – after all, we’re all human – and instead blurt out something unkind, unproductive or unprofessional, apologize. — DIANA PETERSON-MORE (linkedin.com/in/leadership-consultant-usa)

Creativity/Inspiration

June Tune Up! Add a Little Oil!
Mother Teresa once said, “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” Leadership is about helping others discover who they are and how they impact the lives of others. We aim to have a positive impact on those around us and be the support system they need to continue growing. — Brenda Yoho (@BrendaYoho or https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendayoho/)

Development

Invisible Costs Can Cost You a Lot
When making decisions, most people view cost as an important consideration. While price is undoubtedly crucial, what about invisible costs that also come into play? — Frank Sonnenberg (@FSonnenberg)

Which Double Standard for Women Applies To You? All of Them?
Double standards for women in leadership is an age-old problem, but it turns out that it’s not just a problem for leaders; it’s a problem for all women in the workplace. It’s important to see the double standards women face in their broader context as a result of implicit and unconscious biases we all hold. — Dana Theus (@DanaTheus)

Opportunity Focused Leadership
Do you aim to be a problem-focused leader or an opportunity focused leader?

Many work environments place a premium on leaders with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, that premium often places too much emphasis on being critical and dealing with problems. I suggest a different way. — Bill Treasurer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/courage)

How to keep your best leaders: 4 keys to build a flourishing leadership pipeline
A recent Gallup study highlights significant concerns among those serving in managerial roles. Their research found managers more likely than non-managers to be disengaged at work, burned out, looking for a new job and feeling like their organization doesn’t care about their wellbeing. Amid these intense challenges, what can you do to keep your best leaders? Here are four keys to build a flourishing leadership pipeline. — Jon Lokhorst (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlokhorst/)

Where Does Your Work Culture Fall in the 5 Levels of Workplace Inspiration?
A work culture that validates teams members for their efforts and sense of responsibility will create an engaged workforce. — S. Chris Edmonds (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisedmonds)

Keep Your Business Healthy: The Four Pillars of Sound Financial Practices
Operational savvy doesn’t always come easy, and a business owner sometimes, out of necessity, has to put on hats they aren’t equipped. I often hear “But I’m not an accountant!” and I understand. Still, if you are going to own a business, you have to take responsibility for the financial aspects of your business as well as other operations and product/service development and sales. — Jon Verbeck (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonverbeck)

Engagement

Declining Employee Engagement Signals an Opportunity
Gallup Research recently issued a red flag about employee engagement. Michael Stallard and Katharine Stallard explain why it actually represents an opportunity for leaders. — Michael Lee Stallard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstallard)

Leadership Development

Leading Through Change in the Workplace: Key Strategies to Use Today
The complexities of the business environment mean change is one thing most employees can expect, whether they like it or not. Changes in strategy, restructuring, layoffs, the prevalence of mergers and acquisitions, people, and workplace culture issues – the list goes on and on. Read on to see how leaders can help minimize disruption and keep employees engaged. — David Grossman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgrossmanaprabc)

Productivity

How Documenting Effective Systems Improves Team Culture and Performance
Clearly communicated systems aren’t rigid shackles – but rather the essential musical score that ensures everyone plays in perfect harmony, unlocking exceptional team culture and performance. — Sean Glaze (@leadyourteam)

It’s About Time! 10 Ways to Offer the Time Autonomy Employees Crave
The clock is ticking towards a more autonomous future. This article offers concrete tools and strategies within any leader’s control to offer the time flexibility people crave – and in the process, build a magnetic and unbeatable culture where talent thrives. — Julie Winkle Giulioni (https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewinklegiulioni )

Quality is a Journey to Excellence
Quality means not only the quality of the product, but also the quality of the processes producing the product, the quality of the designs that go into processes and the product, quality people, quality systems, quality service, quality everything… just quality through and through everywhere. We need to adopt a new way to manage and run organizations. – John Hunter (@aJohnHunter)

\Swinging for the Fence to Slow Productivity
Following my sabbatical almost three years ago where I said no to everything for almost eight weeks, I came out refreshed and ready to swing for the fence again. I slowly but surely started picking up balls. One at a time, we added client after client, one of which is sucking the ever living life out of me right now. — Mary Ila Ward (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ila-ward)

Team Building

Hiring the Right Players
Every organization needs leaders who can come in and quickly understand the organization’s past, learn the present environment, and develop an effective plan. The challenge is exercising patience and diligence in the selection process to hire the right players; being clear about what and who you need. — Priscilla Archangel (@prisarchangel)

Is a pro basketball player’s story the key to fighting mediocrity?
Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders Blog presents Is a pro basketball player’s story the key to fighting mediocrity? where she shares that while mediocrity can be contagious, the antidote is a focus on winning and innovation – and the encouragement of the Charles Barkleys in your organization who can rally their teams to success. — Robyn McLeod (@ThoughtfulLdrs)

June 4, 2024
Open the Door and Expose Toxic Workplace Cultures
Last week I had the absolute pleasure of attending NASHRM’S 2024 Spring Workshop supporting my team member Lorrie Coffey. She gave an energizing presentation on Handling Toxicity in the Workplace, complete with getting knocked upside the head with a Horizon Point lightbulb stress ball. So, what does a toxic workplace look like? Let’s open the door and expose toxic workplace cultures.

Lorrie started off by giving the definition of toxic and said that it’s an extremely harsh, malicious or harmful quality. She went on to give examples from social media of people talking about their current workplaces. One employee said, “I’ve literally been berated and to a point, what I could consider verbal abuse” another described their situation by saying that their anxiety was through the roof. So, what creates a toxic environment and causes people to leave?

According to Career Plug, the percentage of employees in 2022 that have experienced a toxic workplace by age group are: 88% (18-34 year olds), 90% (35-44 year olds), and 79% (45 + years old). Notice the fact that 45 and up didn’t have as much experience with a toxic culture or did they? Lorrie pointed out that it could be that most CEO’s are in that age range, and who wants to report that they are experiencing a toxic environment when they are the one in charge?

There are tell-tale signs of a toxic culture including increased negativity, turnover, dysfunction, stress, gossip, and competitiveness. On the other hand, there is a decrease in morale, productivity, attendance, trust, health, and feedback. Who then creates this toxicity?

Why should leadership care? Big picture, it impacts the bottom line. During the middle of the presentation one of the participants asked, but what if the toxic person is a leader? If it the toxic person in question is a leader, you have tools to use:
- Set boundaries
- Constructively confront them
- Keep emotions in check
- Document, document, document
- Recommend external leadership training/executive coaching
- Terminate (them or you)
How do you improve a toxic culture? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is what Lorrie recommends.
- Work-life balance
- Teamwork & Communication
- Work on psychological safety
- Feedback & recognition
- Respect
- Fairness & consistency
- Growth opportunities
- Leadership & staff training
Check out Lorrie’s presentation in full on our What’s Up page.
April 16, 2024
Why Appreciation in the Workplace Matters
Remember Mary Ila’s take on “How to Be Authentic with Your Appreciation at Work”? We reference Chapman & White all the time in training and coaching with our clients. To celebrate Valentine’s Day with full hearts in the workplace, we’re bringing you an early look at the new updated version of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.

We subscribe to the newsletter from Appreciation at Work^TM and got one of the first announcements of the new, post-COVID research on professional appreciation. Right away, I asked the team if we could do a blog about it. New research!? Yes! Here’s the blurb we got:
Appreciation at Work has done peer-reviewed research and polling through and post-COVID. The result of this research is a completely new chapter on how to effectively show appreciation to remote and hybrid employees including topics such as:
- the variety of remote work relationships
- trust in remote work relationships
- creating and maintaining a workplace culture
- the employer/supervisor perspective
- the employee perspective
- the key to keeping remote employees
- what neuroscience is showing
This edition also includes updated research (50+ citations) of data shared about the importance of appreciation and its positive impact on the functioning of businesses & organizations (including increased productivity and higher profitability when your employees feel appreciated.

Source: Appreciation at Work
I read it, loved it, laughed, cringed, and mostly just appreciated for the millionth time that Gary Chapman & Paul White adapted the Love Languages for professional relationships. They present their research on appreciation at work in a relatable, real life way. Here are some of my favorite quotes, classic and new:
- “During the Great Resignation of 2022, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that employees were three times more likely to resign due to a lack of appreciation in comparison to financial compensation issues.”
- “When leaders actively pursue teaching their team members how to communicate authentic appreciation in the ways desired by the recipients, the whole work culture improves. Interestingly, even managers and supervisors report they enjoy their work more. All of us thrive in an atmosphere of appreciation.”
- “74% of employees never or rarely express gratitude to their boss.” (Reminder that appreciation is important up, down, and sideways!)
- “There is a distinct difference between the Quality Time employees desire from their supervisor and what they value from co-workers. In response to this issue, we expanded the Motivating by Appreciation Inventory to allow individuals to indicate what actions they desire and from whom they want them.”
- Acts of Service are about the other person, not about you. “Ask before you help. Don’t assume you know what help they want or need. If you are going to help, do it their way.”
- “Our research with over 375,000 employees found that Tangible Gifts is the least chosen language of appreciation.” So if you’re going to do it, it’s important to give gifts “primarily to those individuals who appreciate them” and “give a gift the person values”. (Lorrie wrote about HPC’s take on gifts in “A Few of Our Favorite Things”.)
- “The surest way to find out the appropriateness of Physical Touch is simply to inquire.” Many people appreciate a good high five, fist bump, or handshake to celebrate a job well done. Just check with them first, and don’t hold it against them if they prefer not to touch.
Chapman & White also devote an entire chapter to the ROI of genuine appreciation. Take a look at these charts from the book:

Regarding remote and hybrid teams, Chapman & White basically say the needs are the same as fully in-person teams, but the intensity of certain needs are different. Here’s a snippet from the chapter on remote teams:

“In one study, prior to COVID-19, with almost 90,000 individuals who had taken our online assessment…we found that Words of Affirmation was the most desired appreciation language, followed by Quality Time and Acts of Service. But remote employees chose Quality Time as their primary language of appreciation more frequently (35% of employees) than workers on site (25%). The same pattern was found with employees both during the pandemic and afterwards.”

They go on to say, “…the single most important lesson we learned for effectively communicating appreciation to remote colleagues is that one must be more proactive than in face-to-face relationships. The most important factor is to understand, affirm, and relate to your colleagues as people.”

If you saw our new team video highlighting our operating values, or if you’re a longtime HPC friend, you know that People First is our number one value. We are all just people, with the same ups and downs, and the same desire to be loved, appreciated, and valued. If we were to sum up the 5 languages book(s) in the simplest terms, we’d say Be People First. Be people first toward yourselves, and be people first towards others.

If we remember to be People First, we just might get better at genuine appreciation all on our own.

For individuals or teams interested in learning more about The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, we highly suggest starting with the MBA Inventory^TM, then reading the book (or listening to the audiobook). If you purchase the book, it comes with an access code to take the inventory. If you’d like to jump straight to the inventory, you can buy a single access code or codes for your entire team here. (I feel like it’s important for me to say that we’re not being paid to promote any of this, we just really like it.)
February 13, 2024

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