Want help solving that Employee Recognition Problem? Call AI

Think of it for a minute.  What doesn’t seem to come naturally?  Binge-watching one episode at a time.  Eating ice cream one mouthful at a time? In some cases driving the speed limit doesn’t seem to come naturally. 

Another thing that doesn’t come naturally is rewarding people who you don’t see every day.  Out of sight means out of mind.  At least that’s what human resources leaders are telling me.

Once again the complicated question of how employers can engage employees in this new, hybrid, workplace is raised.  I am hearing a lot of questions and in my mind, one thing is completely missing from the discussion.  The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in this new employee engagement.  Let’s talk about that. 

There are 3 concepts we need to keep in mind.

• How can we really define the problem to everyone’s satisfaction
• AI can become an organization's best friend in engaging, recognizing, and rewarding employees
• What will AI do for you

Let’s go into these concepts in more detail

How can we really define the problem to everyone’s satisfaction--If you remember the movie Apollo 13 everyone remembers the classic, “Houston we have a problem.”  Less well-known is that while everyone knew there was a problem no one could agree on how to solve it.  What allowed the problem to be solved to everyone’s satisfaction was that the boss listened to all ideas from his managers, asked questions, and made a decision based on everything they heard. 

That’s what we are seeing now.  The need is there to listen to your managers, to get their inputs, ask those questions that you think need to be answered, and then make an answer. 

The difference between the movie and today’s reality, besides the global pandemic thing, is that NASA only had one group but the HR community has an infinite number of organizations.  The large defense contractor has nothing in common with the small CPA firm.  That seems obvious, but nothing is further from the truth. 

The problem is we need to define the problem and these problems are really the same. The factors contributing to it are the same but the means in dealing with it are very, very similar. 

AI can become an organization's best friend in engaging, recognizing and rewarding employees--AI, when done correctly, can become a manager's best friend when working to overcome these problems. Let me take the stage and provide you with some of the AI-based solutions KangoGift has built so you can more effectively understand how it can benefit you. 

Some of the things an AI-based solution can provide you with are notifications on employees who deserve praise. Doing this will allow you to not only make sure the right person is being praised but also let you add that special touch that will make the praise hearty and well received. 

It can share with you reasons why employees have been rewarded in the past.  You can now go beyond WHO has been rewarded and focus on WHY they were.  This is a huge leap in engaging with your employees because once you’re able to remember why, you’re able to engage more directly with them on how they are doing as individuals and make them feel that, again, they are part of a larger whole. 

Also, KangoGift has helped organizations develop AI-based solutions that track the technical things on job retention rates. It could flag for you a potential problem or maybe give you that heads up that something may be wrong with this group or this manager before you’re going through the expensive process of replacing someone. The thing about this part is that the AI can be designed to meet your unique needs.

What will AI do for you--This is the best part of AI when I am meeting with HR leaders.  What will it do for you?  What do you want it to do for you?  Let’s be honest it’s not going to do whatever you want. It’s not going to make a manager who is not focused on employee engagement or handing out recognition suddenly see the light.  It’s also not going to replace anyone.  It’s a tool.  That’s it! 

But it can be a tool that helps make your life easier and the lives of a great number of people in your organization easier if you’re willing to embrace its promise.  Ultimately the decision on how AI can help, and what it will do for you is yours to decide. 

Before we leave let me share some key takeaways with you:

• Organizations are unique with unique problems but the means of identifying and solving them are pretty consistent. 
• AI is that tool that will let you deal with these issues proactively and help you see possible problems before they become huge problems
• AI can do for you what you need it to do for you

AI is a great aid and a better tool.  With it, you can make any number of issues, including those caused by remote/hybrid work a great deal easier.  I have seen a great number of organizations make decisions a lot easier by having AI, in some format, integrated into their systems.  It’s the type of solution you’ll be wondering where it’s been all your life.