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Welcome to this week’s issue of Talent Edge Weekly—bringing together insights about work, the workplace, and the workforce from various sources.

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Have a great week, and I look forward to sharing more ideas in next week’s Edge!

Brian 

Brian Heger is an internal human resources practitioner with a Fortune 150 organization and has responsibilities for Strategic Talent and Workforce Planning. You can connect with Brian on Linkedin, Twitter, and brianheger.com

THIS WEEK'S CONTENT

Below is a glance at this week's issue. My detailed summaries of these resources are in the section after this one.

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THIS WEEK'S EDGE

Putting Skills First: A Framework for Action | World Economic Forum and PwC

This new 30-page paper presents a framework for implementing a skills-first approach within an organization. A “skills-first” approach focuses on an individual’s skills and competencies rather than their degrees, job histories, or job titles when it comes to attracting, hiring, developing, and redeploying talent. The framework comprises two main areas: 1) Key enablers: These are tools and innovations that facilitate the adoption of skills-first practices more efficiently. Examples include fostering a skills-first culture, implementing related policies and mindsets, and adopting a common skills language. 2) Key actions: These are practical, evidence-informed steps to implement skills-first practices. This section is supported by case studies from Unilever (e.g., creating the foundations for establishing a successful skills-first culture), HSBC (e.g., mapping skills to work tasks using a new skills hub), and Siemens (e.g., linking organizational skills mapping to personalized learning opportunities), among others. One finding shows that it typically takes 24 to 36 months to achieve stakeholder buy-in, make necessary investments, and secure technology partners for a skills-first culture to take hold. However, focusing on the enablers can expedite this process. The insights also suggest that regardless of the skills taxonomy chosen by an organization, there are three essential qualities of a skills taxonomy: 1) dynamism (reflecting the rapidly changing labor market), 2) customizability (tailored to specific industries), and 3) granularity (providing detailed exploration of specific skills and skill adjacencies). Other ideas are discussed.

Generative AI: Questions CHROs Should Ask | The Conference Board

Generative AI—a powerful branch of artificial intelligence that creates new content using trained data—continues to revolutionize the HR function and its impact on workers and the workplace. However, its implementation brings forth several risks that must be recognized and addressed to ensure responsible and ethical usage. This new paper presents 35 questions that Chief HR Officers and their teams can consider while helping to establish guidelines for utilizing generative AI in their organizations. Sample questions related to organizational adoption and policy include: a) Where and under what circumstances will generative AI be utilized within the organization? b) Do we possess the necessary expertise to harness this new technology? How quickly can we acquire the talent required through recruitment, training, or outsourcing? If such expertise is lacking, what changes should be implemented? c) How can we ensure human oversight of AI-generated content and decisions? Will managers have the authority to override suggestions generated by AI/generative AI? If so, who will be responsible for creating, communicating, and enforcing these guidelines? Regarding the implications for the HR function, sample questions include: a) What level of investment is necessary to adapt, upgrade, or replace current HR systems and infrastructure? b) What local, state, or federal laws exist that prohibit the utilization of “automated employment decision tools”? c) What impact do privacy and data exposure have on individual employees? The answers to these and other questions can help HR leaders and their teams critically evaluate the multi-faceted components of AI in the workplace—increasing the likelihood of tapping its potential while mitigating risks.

10 Use Cases for AI in HR and One Risk and Recommendation For Each | Brian Heger

In a recent Twitter thread, I wrote about AI in HR, highlighting 10 use cases. To make these insights easily accessible, I’ve compiled the tweets into a PDF, which I wanted to share with you. In this PDF, you’ll find a brief statement of each use case, an associated risk, and a practical recommendation for mitigating that risk. Each tweet serves as a springboard for your own exploration, encouraging you to think through these areas and determine your next steps. To make this process easier for you, each use case page has an editable text box you can use to document your ideas. One example is Employee Onboarding. This use case entails automating administrative tasks and providing personalized training materials. However, a potential risk is that the lack of human interaction and support may lead to decreased employee engagement and connection. To address this risk, organizations can blend AI-driven onboarding with human touchpoints to ensure a well-rounded experience. Another example is Employee Engagement. With AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, real-time support for employees becomes possible. Yet, a potential risk lies in the lack of empathy and personalization in AI interactions. Incorporating natural language processing and sentiment analysis is one way to enable AI to offer empathetic responses to tackle this challenge. Other use cases relate to performance management, succession planning, and talent acquisition, to name a few. Remember, the purpose of the PDF is not to provide an exhaustive examination of all use cases of AI in HR. Instead, it aims to spark your thinking and ideas on how your organization might explore a few of these use cases.