While there have been some reports of AI being used unlawfully in the workplace, Workhuman has countered those by developing a new AI tool that makes it easier for colleagues to recognize and reward each other. Termed “Human Intelligence,” the AI-optimized program takes ‘human’ data from the company’s Social Recognition platform, to deliver unique insights that empower leaders to make employees more productive and engaged.
Many studies have highlighted the importance of praise within the workplace. When colleagues have been suitably recognized and rewarded for their efforts, it can lead to higher staff retention rates and productivity levels due to overall job enjoyment.
However, experts have raised concerns about the possibility of people relying on AI to have emotional conversations, leading to the loss of human touch. There are mixed findings about the emotional capacities of AI, and whether it will ever reach the ability to match the human level of empathy is unknown.
Tech Company Workhuman Develops AI Tool to Help Deliver Empathetic Staff Feedback
Dublin and Massachussetts-based tech company Workhuman has developed a new tool to help recognize and reward the efforts of colleagues, by incorporating human data with AI to assist with genuine conversations.
The tool, Human Intelligence, takes the human data of Workhuman’s employee recognition program Social Recognition and combines it with Workhuman’s AI tools. This fused output of both AI and human data then allows employees and leaders to make informed and empowering insights when communicating with one another, with the aim of improving engagement, productivity, and retention.
Workhuman also uses a generative AI assistant within its software, which uses multiple data sources to create business and culture insights based on prompts, such as, “Who on my team is a culture driver?”
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Likewise, new AI features make existing Workhuman functions, such as redeeming praise for vouchers or merchandise, more accurate by indicating to colleagues the appropriate reward levels according to company budgets.
Tool Suits the Importance of Praising and Rewarding Staff
Workhuman has long been an important platform for allowing colleagues and managers to recognize staff success and to reward them appropriately, and its recent AI update speaks to the growing amount of research about the importance of praise for workers and managers alike.
A Workhuman and Gallup report found that staff who say “recognition” for their achievements is a big part of their workplace culture are 3.7 times more likely to be engaged in their work, and half as likely to experience burnout in comparison to the people who do not report this. Similarly, a Get Hppy study found that 86% of value-based recognition programs at work can increase the happiness of workers.
Using tools such as Human Intelligence, businesses can ensure they are prioritizing time to recognize and praise their employees, in order to foster a happier and more productive work environment.
AI and The Quest for Human Empathy
Workhuman’s director of product strategy Adam Basilio has explained that despite Human Intelligence’s ability to assist colleagues in producing appreciative messages, he does not want AI writing what they term “recognition moments” between colleagues. Bruce Daisley, workplace culture consultant and former Twitter executive, has expressed a similar fear of losing the human element of heartfelt actions and recognition.
Whether AI could reach those emotional capacities is uncertain. On the one hand, a recent University of Chicago Law School study pitted AI against experienced human judges in judicial decision-making. The study found that AI judges based their decisions on legal precedent, even when faced with emotional or sympathetic candidates.
However, a Harvard Business School study found that AI was able to effectively emulate the benefits of human collaboration in group settings, with respondents working with AI reporting “positive emotional responses.”
We could be far away from AI bots sitting behind HR desks, but with the speed at which AI is moving, it may not be as far away as we believe.
