AI companies suggest they can help employees sell more, feel less stressed, and feel more connected. However, some employees are concerned about data collection and privacy.
June 7, 2023 6:00 AM EDT
Is it helpful or is it too much?
Some software providers and startups are counting on the former, pushing work tools that use data to combat burnout, reduce stress levels, and increase productivity and engagement.
“The goal is to make employees happier,” said Sean Ramirez, vice president of data science at Glue, a platform aimed at increasing connections between employees. “How do I keep my employees engaged?”
AI is permeating workplace tools and apps, with software makers claiming the technology can help improve skills, well-being, and social connections in the workplace. Employers face new challenges such as a distributed workforce, an increase in business data, and a plethora of tools and programs to manage it all.
A recent survey by market research firm Gartner found that about 47% of workers who use digital technology in their work often struggle to find the information and data they need. But some experts warn there could be a backlash from workers who feel Big Brother is tracking their activities.
Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, said technology is changing workplace dynamics, which can make some workers uncomfortable.
“We’re used to a model where you have to follow your boss,” he said. “From now on, you have to be obsessed with computers, cameras and VR. [virtual reality] headset. “
Still, a Gartner survey showed that one-third of employees would accept some level of oversight in exchange for help in finding information. And some providers say they recognize their employees’ privacy concerns.
Amit Bendoff, co-founder, The CEO of San Francisco-based Gong said the “Big Brother” concern was when the company launched an AI platform to monitor and guide employees through the sales process in 2015. said it was something he was worried about. Software can help them, he said.
“There was some resistance at first, because it feels weird,” he says. “But once you get used to it, you can’t go back. It’s like going back to washing.” Tableware is handmade. “
Gong currently has about 4,000 customers The company, which includes LinkedIn and Hubspot, uses AI, partly built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT’s massive language model, partly in-house, to help salespeople and managers track deals, Prioritize tasks, create follow-up drafts, note and search for key keywords, and In-call, give feedback on the best strategy based on previous winning data. You can let your users know how often the conversation is too much or too little, whether they’re working on the right issue, or whether a deal is at stake, and the best time and way to follow up.
In other words, it helps employees evaluate sales interactions so they can improve.
“Salespeople can be managing 20 to 30 deals at the same time, so it’s easy to drop the ball,” Bendoff says.
Julie Carlson, a peer mentor at a Portland nonprofit, has never used Gong, but she fears the technology’s surveillance could cause anxiety. At her previous workplace, she was 36, and had her boss micromanaging her and always leaning over her shoulder. It made her nervous and made her less productive.
“I stopped and thought, ‘Isn’t this a way to get more information to attack us?’ She said. ‘Big Brother is watching you.’ I feel like.”
Another coaching tool aims to help employees manage stress.
Enterprise training company Fierce’s Pulse app debuted last year and integrates with employee wearable devices to monitor heart rate variability. The company claims its AI can: Fierce CEO Edward Beltran said it detects if people are in “fight or flight” mode based on heart rate patterns. It can also be integrated with employee calendars to help people identify situations that may have led to elevated stress levels.
The app has optional nudges and notifications, and after a stressful event occurs, the app asks users questions through a chatbot or live coach to help determine stressors and course of action. The data can be viewed by individuals and admins can access stress levels collectively but not individually.
Bertrand said the tool is especially useful for people who get stressed at unexpected times, such as while sleeping or relaxing on vacation.
“There is a bleedover in between” [work and personal] world,” he said. “When a coach pokes them, that’s where we learn about misplaced stress.”
Thousands of employees at five of the largest companies in the professional services sector have started using Pulse, Beltran said.
Steve Ozer, communications director for a chemical distributor based in Westchester, Pennsylvania, said he believes there are cases, such as for safety purposes, where employee surveillance is warranted. That said, over-monitoring can backfire.
“This shows a lack of trust in their own employees,” he said. “When we should be building ties with employers and employees, intrusive surveillance can undermine ties or break them altogether.”
Aaron, a worker who spoke only by his first name for privacy reasons, said he was open to having his work-related interactions and activities monitored. But a project manager at a digital marketing firm working remotely in South Africa said there needs to be a balance between what both employers and workers find acceptable.
Stressed, burnt out, and depressed employees are often the first to look for ways to leave the company. So Glue hopes his AI in-house can help.
The purpose of the platform is to enable HR departments to identify and provide remedial action to employees who feel disconnected from their peers or peers. organization. Glue uses engagement benchmarks based on specific roles within each company to determine when employees feel that way. Monitor communications on workplace apps like Slack and Google Calendar, and HR systems for information like promotions and compensation. We also use traditional employee surveys to enhance our insights.
Glue vice president Ramirez said the technology uses large language models, including ChatGPT, to help determine an employee’s individual signals and their meaning. Glue can then generate a score based on team-to-team connectivity, with leadership and overall sense of belonging. Also specializing in AI-powered virtual events, automated employee referrals and offsite planning, Glue also offers personalized service Suggestions for unconnected workers, such as two coffee meetings based on availability on both calendars. Unhappy “people start to disappear…and their relationships go from talking to managers to [talking to] It’s a horizontal group,” Ramirez said. “It could mean there’s a problem or a concern to consider.”
But Erin Odell, a Seattle-based esthetician who runs her own firm, says: In general, she hopes managers will leverage human social skills to determine what workers need, whether it be training or connection. At her previous job, Odell said she was appalled by situations that led her to believe that the company had spied on a phone call she had made with a colleague about Odell’s unanticipated events. Dismissal.
“Technology cannot solve [motivation and happiness],” she said. “People are.”
Julie Mueller, who lives in St. Louis and works in human resources for a tech company, said she has a lot of faith in how AI can improve people’s performance and make their jobs easier.
“If this product proves to help employees grow faster and achieve better results, I will work with them,” she said. “But I strongly disagree with anything that makes people feel policed.”
The companies say they’re transparent about what they share, such as biometrics, protect sensitive personal data, and give users options to opt out of certain types of tracking.
Brookings’ West said workers need to consider trade-offs when considering workplace software and the data it collects. How much control do you have over your data, and how is that data used? Can it be used to measure job performance or remove talent?
“The most important thing is disclosure,” West said. “People need to know how they are being monitored.”
