June 1, 2023
Hello – and rabbit, rabbit. Or should I say robot, robot?
You can’t tune into the news lately – wherever you access it – without hearing about AI: artificial intelligence. The truth is that we’ve been living alongside AI for a long time with social media algorithms, machine learning, voice recognition software, autonomous driving, etc., but last year when OpenAI released ChatGPT for all the world to experiment with, we entered a new kind of AI arms race.
If you’ve ever typed a query into an AI prompt and watched the text generate automatically in front of your eyes, the experience is pretty powerful. The upsides of this technology for the workplace are obvious. AI can optimize repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on higher-value activities. It enables intelligent data analysis, generating insights and enhancing decision-making processes. Additionally, AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants can enrich customer service experiences, ensuring efficient and personalized interactions in real time.
Simultaneously, alarm bells are clanging and there is growing anxiety about the existential threats of an AI-powered world. The Future of Life Institute, an NGO, published an open letter calling for a six month pause on generative AI that was signed by a who’s who in the tech world. But is the genie already out of the bottle?
To deal with the practical, ethical and legal implications of using AI in the workplace, businesses will need to develop oversight policies. The risks of relying on chatbots like ChatGPT or Google’s Bard include conveying inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information, spreading biases that may be built into the AI’s training data, a lack of transparency in the information’s origin, stolen intellectual property, and data privacy concerns over confidential information being entered into a chatbot prompt.
We’re on the precipice of a new era of AI with a lot of high-stakes unknowns, and regulation, if it happens at all, in the distant future. As the technology evolves, one way to think of generative AI is as a potent tool that requires human vetting, verifying and validation to be utilized safely and responsibly. This Harvard Business Review article: 8 Questions About Using AI Responsibly, Answered, is a great place to start.
Our team of KMA consultants will continue to share our learnings about AI as it evolves and impacts our clients, and the business community as a whole.
We’ve got a jam-packed June at KMA with multiple events we hope you can join us for, and we’ve also got some helpful articles to keep you up to date on HR compliance and best practices. Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Kim Anania
President and CEO
KMA Human Resources
June Grads and Job Seekers
If you recently graduated, congratulations on behalf of KMA! You may be feeling pressure to figure out your next steps, whether that’s more education or stepping into your first “real” job. As always, we’ve got great advice for anyone who is entering the workforce for the first time, as well as anyone open to trying something new, career-wise.
Browse our client job board here, and even if you don’t see anything that’s right for you, you can upload your resume and we’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities that might be a good fit.
Last year at this time we published Advice for Graduates, in Five Themes, which is every bit as relevant today. Whether you’re heading to college or scouring the career pages, we’re in your corner with advice, tips and more.
Work at KMA
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to work at KMA or you know someone who would be a great candidate, we are seeking applications for an HR Consultant with a minimum of seven years of experience to join our team of HR professionals in Southern Maine, and Southeastern Massachusetts locations.
These are great opportunities to be part of a dynamic and growing team servicing premier clients in New England. For over 15 years we have been helping organizations reach their business goals by serving as their human resources partner. We help businesses recruit, hire, compensate, train, and retain their workforce.
The Human Resources Consultant will deliver high quality advisory and administrative services to clients on a range of HR issues, procedures, and policies consistent with employee best practices, legislation, and guidelines.
Get more information and apply
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Mastering the Onboarding Process
June 6, from 12:00-1:00
With the tight labor market and great reshuffle, it’s more important than ever to master the employee onboarding process.
Kim Rummler will be joining Vicki Ferentz of Acadia Benefits and Nate Moody of Lebel & Harriman Retirement Advisors for their monthly Financial Wellness@Work Series to discuss strategies for both employees and employers looking to make the most out of their onboarding process.
Webinar: How to Attract and Recruit the Right Candidates…Now!
June 14th from 12:00-1:00
We are teaming up with our friends at flyte new media for a webinar that’s all about recruiting talent in today’s competitive labor market.
Holly Lancaster, KMA’s Director of Recruiting, will join Rich Brooks, President of flyte new media, to discuss strategies for attracting candidates, including articulating your employer brand in a way that resonates with job seekers, and how to leverage the unique benefits and opportunities at your organization that set you apart from the rest.
On the digital marketing side, you’ll discover how to amplify your recruiting message through specific digital marketing tactics that will get you in front of your ideal candidate…even if they’re not currently looking for a new job. Find out what to do on your website, through SEO, social media, and other digital marketing channels to build up a steady stream of applicants.
Please join us! Register here.
Required Reading
Understanding and Reducing Bias in Your Hiring Process
While the recruiting environment has certainly made progress from the overtly biased practices of the past when help wanted ads were listed as male or female, bias throughout the hiring process persists. Ageism, sexism and racism can all seep into the evaluation of candidates in subconscious but insidious ways. The key is to be aware of these tendencies and to create a process that is fair, transparent and consistent for all candidates.
This article explains how.
Compliance Alert: I-9 End of Remote Verification
COVID-19 temporary flexibilities for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, will end on July 31, 2023. U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that employers must complete in-person physical document inspections for employees whose documents were inspected remotely during the temporary flexibilities by August 30, 2023.
In this Compliance Alert, we tell you what it means for employers and how to comply.
Meet Stakeholder Patrick Canavan, Regional Employee Benefits Practice Leader, New England, USI Insurance Services
In this interview, we asked Patrick Canavan of USI Insurance Services for his thoughts on career, his leadership style and philosophy, and the lessons he learned in his first job as a lifeguard that still hold true at this stage of his career.
KMA in the Community
Amy Harkins will be a panelist on the 2023 Mainebiz Health Care Forum on June 7th from 7:30-10:30 am. Get more information and register here.
