Larson: AI Disrupts the Workplace; how to change jobs humanely – Daily Independent

Carilyn Larson

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By Carilyn Larson | Executive Coach, Churchill Leadership Group

If 2024 has revealed anything other than very petty politics, it is the resilience of artificial intelligence.

According to the latest research, the potential economic impact of AI is in the trillions of dollars. The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. claims that AI will “unleash the next wave of productivity,” while MIT researchers call it the technology with the world’s greatest economic impact.

There is value in economic theory, but what about actual people? How will the changing world of work affect people? After all, nearly 40 percent of all jobs will be affected by AI alone in one way or another. And people will feel a mixture of unsettled and uprooted.

The proliferation of time-saving tools—now replete with AI offerings like ChatGPT—has led to a sea change in what is required of employees in support professions such as customer service professionals, human resources officers, program managers and even executive coaches.

So we have to ask: How can employers help create the changes they need to see in the workplace? And, more importantly, how can they change the world of work in a humane way? How can space change be accomplished not only with efficiency in mind, but also with basic integrity and social responsibility?

The callous, pure market “solution” to the changing nature of work is to lay off those whose skill sets are no longer needed (or perceived as such) and hire those who can do the job. Indeed, more than 40% of global C-suite executives expect to hire fewer people because of AI.

This means more and more losses for today’s companies. The business costs associated with layoffs and hiring are huge—about $1 trillion a year for American companies alone. They are especially pronounced when competitors and other counterparties follow suit, limiting the pool of available, competent people with the skills needed in our changing world.

Ideally, the global workforce will grow with the needs of the global business community. To enable this, employers will need to take the lead in retraining and upskilling workers so they can contribute meaningfully in a world with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Azure. The concepts of reskilling and upskilling are not new, but they are gaining unprecedented urgency with the growing application of AI and broader technological disruptions.

Workforce development is the humane approach to workplace change. Only when people – especially mid- and senior-level employees whose skills are already “obsolete” and face displacement – ​​have the opportunity to learn new, in-demand skills, can they find and keep a job. Such development is inextricably linked not only to job security and financial freedom, but also to dignity.

Today’s managers—from the C-suite on down—must recognize the increased importance of retraining and upskilling and actively prioritize it as a helping hand. This is not purely altruistic: investment in retraining and upskilling the current workforce has the potential to boost global economic activity by trillions of dollars in the coming years. That means new companies, new jobs, and countless new opportunities for people to succeed.

Fortunately, many employers are already making strides in workforce development. To invest in priorities such as reskilling and upskilling, business leaders are asked and asked what they imagine the need – in terms of short- and long-term skills – of those who support their success.

Forward-thinking leaders define new job descriptions for the support positions of the future, reinventing key roles, not simply replacing them.

Employers are actively recognizing and rewarding staff members who use AI and other emerging tools to develop more efficient ways of working. Managers show appreciation for workers who understand how AI can streamline email communication or make group presentations more accurate and informative. They support innovators in the workplace by gaining approval from superiors to standardize work with greater efficiency.

Education also cannot be overstated. Some companies are doubling down on emerging mission-critical skill sets of the day by creating internal training academies or sending committed employees to intensive external training programs (often with a service agreement).

The bottom line is that organizations need to adopt a change management approach to adaptability, with special emphasis on the human side of change. Effective change management allows time for those affected to understand what is changing for them on a daily basis. As roles and responsibilities evolve, workplace leaders and their teams must identify opportunities to meet affected individuals on a human level, exploring how looming changes can align with their professional goals and personal aspirations.

Communication is paramount and there is no room for fear of judgment or failure. Experience comes with time; none of us can master a new trade overnight.

As long as employers remember the human side of the job and respond responsibly to AI, disruption need not be scary. The change that is coming can be managed humanely.

Editor’s note: Carilyn Larson is an executive coach at Churchill Leadership Group. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcome [email protected].