OECD countries just might be on the brink of an AI revolution. While adoption of AI is still relatively low in companies, rapid progress with generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT), falling costs, and the increasing availability of workers with AI skills mark a technological watershed for labour markets.
This is the assessment of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in its Employment Outlook 2023, released in July. As the organisation’s annual snapshot of labour markets across the world’s largest economies, it usually nails one focal point for the future. No surprise then that AI, which has been dominating the headlines since the start of the year, features as the main topic for 2023.
When considering all automation technologies, including AI, the OECD finds that 27% of jobs are in occupations at high-risk of automation. Initial conclusions from its new survey of AI’s impact on the manufacturing and finance sectors in seven countries highlight both opportunities and risks. On the positive side, the report says, AI can help reduce tedious and dangerous tasks, leading to greater satisfaction and safety. It also identifies a positive impact in terms of fairness in management and inclusion of disabled workers. Yet, 63% of workers in finance and 57% in manufacturing worry about job losses over the next 10 years due to AI.
Despite uncertainty about the evolution of AI in the short- to medium-term, the OECD recommends concrete policy actions to reap the benefits AI can bring to the workplace while addressing risks to workers’ fundamental rights and well-being. Certain jurisdictions, including the European Union, have already started regulating AI (e.g. EU Artificial Intelligence Act and data protection regulation) and the OECD also points to collective bargaining and social dialogue as important tools to support workers and companies in the AI transition.
As one example of social partners’ initiatives around AI, the OECD Employment Outlook 2023 quotes the code of conduct adopted by the World Employment Confederation in March 2023. Seeing the rapid deployment of AI in recruitment processes over the past few years, our sector deemed it essential to take an early stand in defining a set of standards that we could align on.
As a result, our Taskforce on Digitalisation led a cross-industry collaboration resulting in the adoption of a Code of Ethical Principles for the use of Artificial intelligence. It defines ten principles that members are required to apply in developing products, delivering services, and engaging partners when using AI.
AI offers strong potential to support both workers and employers in their labour market journeys. It plays a role in ensuring better and faster matching of supply with demand, improving the user experience, grounding labour markets in skills, and unlocking the data needed to do it. However, as with the introduction of any new technology or system, we need to ensure that the use of AI in the HR services sector is grounded in principles that place the needs of individuals and society at their heart.
Our Code recognises that AI is evolving, and so represents a set of 10 living principles which can be adapted over time. Unsurprisingly several principles focus on the need for human characteristics in AI systems used in the recruitment and employment industry: Human Centric Design – that provides beneficial outcomes for individuals and society; Human in Command – in order that they are designed to augment human capabilities with clear processes in place to ensure that they always remain under human direction and control; and Building Human Capacity – enhancing workers and managing fair transitions through the implementation of life-long learning, skills development, and training.
Other principles focus on the need for openness and responsibility. Transparency, Explainability, and Traceability – to ensure that those using AI systems are transparent about their use of technology and provide workers and employees with information about their interactions with AI systems, explaining how these systems arrive at their decisions; and Accountability to ensure that those deploying AI systems take responsibility for their use at all times.
The 10 principles also address protection of people and systems: Privacy requires that AI systems used by the recruitment and employment sector comply with the application of general privacy principles and protect individuals against any adverse effects of the use of personal information in AI; Safety & Security ensure that systems are technically robust and reliable, with monitoring and tracking processes in place to measure performance and retrain or modernise as necessary. Naturally, ethical governance also features as a principle, with WEC encouraging frameworks to ensure the ethical development and use of AI – including the involvement of relevant stakeholders such as government, civil society, and academia in the decision-making process.
Two further principles focus on broader societal objectives: Fairness and Inclusivity by design seeksto ensure that the AI systems used by the sector treat people fairly and respect the principles of non-discrimination, diversity, and inclusiveness. It requires that appropriate risk assessment and mitigation systems be implemented throughout the AI system lifecycle. Environmental and societal well-being aims to ensure that AI systems are designed and used in a way that considers the environmental and societal impacts of their use.
At the core of our principles lies the need to keep a human-centric approach to artificial intelligence and lay the foundations for building better labour markets. The OECD Employment Outlook 2023 rightfully flags, trustworthy use of AI is key. As organisations move ahead and embrace AI across their business Governments need to ensure that it continues to serve to support inclusive labour markets as opposed to hindering them, thereby bringing opportunities for all.
While artificial intelligence (AI) is by no means new technology, its parameters are constantly shifting thanks to the introduction of new AI tools, thereby revolutionising what AI makes possible. It’s for this reason that headlines across the media have recently been awash with mention of ChatGPT and all its ramifications, including its impact on accountancy professionals.
Much like most other industries, professionals in the accountancy world have questioned how AI tools like ChatGPT will impact their roles, specifically whether the technology is a threat to their jobs. It is important to acknowledge that AI, like any other advancement in technology, is simply a tool that can and should be used by Professional Accountants (SA) to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of their services.
While AI does have the ability to take on some aspects of an accountancy professional’s role, there’s no reason to fear the worst just yet. AI and technology in general are not going to take over the work of Professional Accountants (SA) in a hurry. It’s important that we see them as enablers to providing clients and the industry at large with more value-added services.
Shifting accountancy beyond the numbers
Burying one’s head in the sand when it comes to AI is simply not an option. Instead, Professional Accountants (SA) should aim to embrace the technology for all its benefits, using it as a tool to move away from data capturing and the stereotypical notions of ‘number crunching’ typically associated with the profession, and into the analysis of data in ways that only human Professional Accountants (SA) are capable of.
This is the opinion of SAIPA as a Professional Accountancy Organisation representing qualified Professional Accountants (SA) in South Africa, having expressed its stance on AI as an enabler of innovation in the profession, and a gateway for Professional Accountants (SA) to enhance their skills in areas relevant to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
SAIPA endorses the use of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots as a means for Professional Accountants (SA) in research and data gathering to support management with decision making and problem solving. SAIPA is in the process of revising its education and assessment models to this effect. However, the focus of learning will be on interrogating the information gathered to support the development of critical thinking, professional scepticism, problem-solving, and professional judgment.
Looking at AI from a more positive perspective in this way reveals a number of advantages for the accountancy professional with a future-focused mindset – that is, one who hopes to remain relevant by keeping their skills, experience and services in adherence to the ever-changing demands of modern businesses.
For instance, AI can assist in enforcing corporate policy by identifying non-compliance issues and errors in financial data. It can also streamline the data entry and analysis process by recognising and categorising financial transactions from receipt images, using this to provide accurate reports that managers can peruse and analyse far more efficiently. In both instances, technology frees up the Professional Accountant’s (SA) time to focus more on information analysis.
Where fraud and corruption are a common and unfortunate reality in South Africa, AI can act as an independent auditing tool to assess transactions and reports, predict patterns and detect a wide variety of irregularities in financial data.
AI can also be used in budget forecasting to predict a company’s future financial performance based on historical and current financial data, not to mention facilitate tax preparation by extracting relevant information from financial documents to be used in the creation of tax returns.
From a talent acquisition and retention point of view, AI chatbots can assist in the areas of HR recruitment and employee experience, streamlining and optimising HR processes while offering candidates personalised insights into the skills they need to focus on developing as well as possible growth paths in the company and in their careers.
AI is not the enemy; it provides us with data, but it’s certainly no substitute or replacement for human interpretation and expertise. AI is a handy and increasingly necessary companion for Professional Accountants (SA) navigating accountancy and business in the digital age. Embracing technology in this way has a number of benefits for the individual and the industry at large, from streamlining processes to enabling Professional Accountants (SA) to take more of a data analysis and advisory role to their clients.
Tax season doesn’t need to be a disaster. Several best practices have been put in place to help you get file your taxes seamlessly as possible.
Chi Chi Gule chats with Mahomed Kamdar, Tax Specialist at the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), as he outlines the key steps one can incorporate to ensure deadlines are met, compliance is achieved, and key resources at your disposal to consider.
What are the do’s of individual filing to ensure a smooth tax filing experience?
Firstly, determine whether you, the taxpayer, earns income from sources other than a salary. Once the taxpayer earns income from sources other than being a salaried employee during the year of assessment, then the person is a provisional taxpayer. If the taxpayer was a provisional taxpayer in a prior tax-year, there is no guarantee that the same taxpayer will forever be a provisional taxpayer or vice versa. The taxpayer could have changed the nature of their transactions recently thereby terminating their provisional tax status. If the status of the taxpayer has changed then the timeframe for the submission of tax return also changes. This could result in late submission of tax returns and consequently, administrative non-compliance penalties can be invoked, if the timeframe for the submission of tax returns adhered to is for provisional taxpayers although the provisional tax status of the taxpayer has ended.
Secondly, you must have all supporting documents which provide evidence for the information submitted in the tax return before submitting a tax return electronically. In this way, you will not `panic’ when audited by SARS because all documentary evidence is already available in a format which can be easily forwarded to SARS. As far as possible, avoid searching for documentary evidence on the eve of a SARS audit. Doing this would remove stress for both the taxpayer and tax practitioner.
Finally, confirm that your bank details, IRP5 statements, cell numbers and email addresses are correct. If you find that your tax refunds have been transferred to your `old’ accounts, SARS will not be responsible for the incorrect destination of tax refund. SARS could also impose administrative non-compliance penalties if the taxpayer fails to disclose their correct personal contactable details.
What are the don’ts of individual filing to ensure a smooth tax filing experience?
Don’t hide non-salaried income from SARS even if you are auto assessed. Although the income could be exempt or falls below the threshold, it must be included in the gross income of the individual. It is possible that a taxpayer is auto assessed and SARS is not aware other income stream. Under these circumstances, the taxpayer should amend the assessment and not `accept ‘the results of the auto assessment. The result of auto assessment can be reversed in the future should SARS uncover the additional income stream. Under these circumstances, SARS could impose the vicious understatement penalty.
Definitely do not delay on your submission of tax returns because of inconveniences like load shedding, unless there is a valid reason which SARS will accept. Retain documents and other forms of evidence to support the reason for late submission. SARS holds the view that taxpayers have an advanced knowledge of when load shedding will occur, and taxpayers should work around these load shedding schedules to submit tax returns.
Thirdly, taxpayers should not hide their capital gains after selling their fixed immovable primary residence or their holiday homes. This is especially important for the completion of provisional tax.
What are some of the new and improved ways SARS is tightening up on compliance?
SARS has embarked on a digital transformation journey, introducing new digital initiatives and innovations to support tax compliance. SARS has moved away from a solo approach to tax administration, that is, placing reliance on the information provided by taxpayers with accompanying supporting documents. Tax has become more integrated with the provisions of other services and is no longer viewed as a stand-alone activity. In other words, tax collection has become less reliant on voluntary compliance. SARS is using technology tools to perform 3rd party verification, such as medical aid contribution, bank interest, property, and vehicle registration. The chance of being caught out increases exponentially.
How is improved technology, the use of data, artificial intelligence and algorithms enabling SARS to boost compliance with tax obligations?
Artificial intelligence has enabled SARS to significantly expand its scope of detecting tax fraud, beyond data obtained through declarations. SARS implemented several machine learning models that leverage multiple asset and income stream data sources to detect non-, as well as under-declaration of tax liability. In the case of tax, AI is used to determine trends, taxpayer behaviour and other information that impact tax returns or the calculation of taxable system. In the era of smart machines, the advancement in technology has improved the ability of SARS to detect irregular or suspicious trends in tax returns.
Technology tools will also improve the efficiency and speed with which SARS will be able to assess taxpayers. Auto assessment is a permanent feature of our tax system; it will improve in future through the development of AI-powered tools and will increase the mode of revenue collection. Linked to this is the creation of a robust connective tax network, whereby SARS can access information like personal details from 3rd parties. This information serves as part of a “Big Data” network.
In the future, sales, and purchases by companies and sole proprietors could be recorded in a centralised information platform for authorised users to extract and utilise. Given the state of technological development, SARS could well `auto’ assess VAT 201 on behalf of vendors. This will take indirect taxes to a new height, where the assessments can be done in real time based on the recording of the transaction in an inter-connected digital platform and environment. This is possible for retail outlets using cash registers which could be linked to a central database from which SARS obtains information.
Additionally, SARS is not only upgrading its internal processes. It is now capable of seamlessly sharing data with authorities around the world to discover foreign caches of undeclared income. It is important to note that the sharing of tax information locally or globally does not violate the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act 4 of 2013. The provisions of POPI simply do not apply to the collection of tax revenues. Taxpayers are legally obliged to disclose information required to complete a tax return.
How do auto-assessments work? What are the next steps to take if you are unhappy with your auto assessment?
Auto assessments begin with data collection. SARS receives data from employers, medical schemes, banks, retirement annuity funds, and other institutions. Legislation requires service providers to provide data which SARS can access for verification. This data is used to assess whether there is a refund due to the taxpayer or whether an amount must be paid to SARS. If SARS is satisfied that the data and tax calculation is correct, then SARS will issue an assessment to the individual taxpayer via eFiling or the SARS MobiApp. At the same time, SARS will also send the individual taxpayer a message via the taxpayer’s preferred channel of communication (like SMS or email) to let the taxpayer know that assessment is ready for the taxpayer or their tax practitioner to view. From Friday 30 June 2023, SARS will communicate directly with selected taxpayers via SMS notifying taxpayers of their auto-assessments.
In 2023, taxpayers who are eligible for auto assessment will also receive a letter from SARS confirming that they fall within the auto assessment scope during the 2023 tax filing system. This is a new development when compared with the 2022 tax filing system. Taxpayers will know in advance that they are candidates for auto assessment. The issuing of letters by SARS provides taxpayers with an early opportunity to examine if they were incorrectly subjected to auto assessment.
SARS will issue auto assessment letters from 1 July 2023, even though the 2023 filing season will only begin on 7 July. The early release of auto assessment letters provides taxpayers with two key benefits, namely: increased time to review the auto assessment and determine whether they are correctly subjected to auto assessment, and secondly enhanced accuracy, as a thorough examination of the assessment outcome ensures that any potential errors or discrepancies can be identified and addressed in a timely manner.
If a taxpayer is not pleased with the outcome of their auto assessment, SARS will be allowing individual taxpayers until 23 October 2023 to file an amended return which is also the deadline to submit tax returns by non-provisional taxpayers who have not been auto assessed. If a taxpayer agrees with their auto assessment, and a refund is due, then there is nothing more for them to do – simply wait for the refund, which you can expect within 72 hours. If you owe SARS, then you must make a payment either via eFiling, SARS MobiApp or via EFT on or before the payment due date (30 days after statement date).
Discover the potential of artificial intelligence with our comprehensive cheat sheet. Learn more about the concepts, platforms and applications of AI.
Artificial intelligence comes in many forms, from simple tools that respond to customers via a chat to complex machine learning algorithms that predict the trajectory of an entire organization. Despite years of overpromising, AI doesn’t comprise sentient machines that reason like humans. Rather, AI encompasses more narrowly focused pattern matching at scale to complement human reasoning.
In order to help business leaders understand what AI capabilities are, how to use artificial intelligence and where to begin an AI journey, it’s essential to first dispel the myths surrounding this huge leap in AI technology.
AI is largely a pattern-recognition tool that can run at a scale that’s dramatically beyond any human, yet never quite replaces humans. Even at its best, AI delivers acceptable, though not perfect results, giving people the ability to step in, observe the data and reason from there.
Note that while we use AI throughout this cheat sheet, most enterprises actually engage with a subset of AI called machine learning or deep learning. We’ll use AI here as a shorthand that includes machine learning and deep learning.
The truth is that current AI technology is limited, but it’s still incredibly powerful. However complicated its processes may seem in practice, at the core of AI-driven applications is the simple ability to identify patterns and make inferences based on those patterns.
AI isn’t truly intelligent, and it’s often as biased as the data we choose to feed into our ML models. That doesn’t mean AI isn’t useful for businesses and consumers trying to solve real-world problems, it means that we’re nowhere close to machines that can actually make independent decisions or arrive at conclusions without being given the proper data first. It’s also true that AI can tend to confirm our biases, rather than eliminate them.
How does artificial intelligence work?
AI is a complex system designed to model human behavior and intelligence. It combines large data with intelligent algorithms to analyze, understand, and make decisions or predictions about future states. To make accurate predictions, AI systems require large amounts of data to learn from; this data is gathered from various sources, processed, analyzed and organized in a suitable format for the AI algorithms.
AI algorithms are the core of AI systems and are designed to analyze and interpret data, identify patterns, and make predictions or decisions based on the input. By continuously collecting new data and retraining the models, AI systems can adapt to changing conditions and improve their performance.
The core process of how AI works involves the following subdomains:
Machine learning: A branch of AI that focuses on the development of algorithms and statistical models that allow computer systems to learn and improve from data without being explicitly programmed.
Deep learning: A subfield of machine learning that mimics the workings of the human brain’s neural networks, using multiple layers of artificial neural networks to learn and understand complex patterns and features in data.
Neural networks: A computational model, inspired by the structure and function of the human brain, that can process and analyze large amounts of data to recognize patterns, make predictions or classify information.
Natural language processing: A branch of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human language, enabling machines to understand, interpret and generate human language.
Computer vision: A branch of AI that enables machines to interpret and understand visual information from images or videos.
Cognitive computing: A model that aims to create AI systems that can simulate human-like intelligence and interact with humans in a more natural and intuitive way.
What can artificial intelligence do?
Artificial intelligence is essentially pattern matching at scale. With its pattern recognition capabilities, modern AI can perform image recognition, understand the natural language and writing patterns of humans, make connections between different types of data, identify abnormalities in patterns, strategize, predict and more.
While humans are unable to as easily comb through the amount of data that machines can to uncover patterns, machines struggle when presented with an outlier that might be easy for a human to spot but contradicts the training data. Therefore, the best AI applications are highly focused and combine human reasoning with the brute power of ML.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AI and ML have seen a massive market growth. The global pandemic also shifted AI priorities and applications: Instead of solely focusing on financial analysis and consumer insight, post-pandemic AI projects have trended toward customer experience and cost optimization.
AI bots can perform many basic customer service tasks, freeing employees up to only address cases that need human intervention. AI like this has been particularly widespread since the start of the pandemic, when workers forced out of call centers put stress on customer service.
What are the business applications of AI?
In the business world, there are plenty of AI applications, but perhaps none is gaining traction as much as business and predictive analytics and its end goal: prescriptive analytics.
Business analytics is a complicated set of processes that aim to model the present state of a business, predict where it will go if kept on its current trajectory and model potential futures with a given set of changes. Predicting the future with an established model of the past can be easy enough, but prescriptive analysis, which aims to find the best possible outcome by tweaking an organization’s current course, can be downright impossible without AI help.
Analytics may be the rising star of business AI, but it’s hardly the only application of artificial intelligence in the commercial and industrial worlds. Other AI use cases for businesses include the following:
Recruiting and employment: AI can streamline recruiting by filtering through larger numbers of candidates more quickly than a human and by noticing qualified people who may be overlooked.
Fraud detection: AI is great at picking up on subtle differences and irregular behavior, such as subtle indicators of financial fraud that humans may miss.
Cybersecurity:AI is great at detecting indicators of hacking and other cybersecurity issues.
Data management: Using AI, you can categorize raw data and find relationships between items that were previously unknown.
Customer relations: Modern AI-powered chatbots are incredibly good at carrying on conversations thanks to natural language processing, making them a great first line of customer service.
Healthcare: Not only are some AI applications able to detect cancer and other health concerns before doctors, they can also provide feedback on patient care based on long-term records and trends.
Predicting market trends: Much like prescriptive analysis in the business analytics world, AI systems can be trained to predict trends in larger markets, which can lead to businesses getting a jump on emerging trends.
Reducing energy use: AI can streamline energy use in buildings and even across cities as well as make better predictions for construction planning, oil and gas drilling, and other energy-centric projects.
Marketing: AI systems can be trained to increase the value of marketing both toward individuals and larger markets, helping organizations save money and get better marketing results.
What are the different types of AI?
Narrow AI
Also known as weak AI, narrow AI helps you perform specific functions. It’s focused on a single domain and operates within predefined limits. Narrow AI cannot do anything more than what they are programmed to do — they have a very limited or narrow range of competencies. Examples include voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. These lack general intelligence and cannot perform tasks outside their designated domain.
General AI
General AI, also known as strong AI or artificial general intelligence, refers to AI systems that possess human-level intelligence and can understand, learn and perform any intellectual task that a human being can do. They can adapt to various scenarios and solve problems creatively. While general AI remains a long-term objective, current advancements primarily focus on developing narrow AI systems that excel in specific areas, such as image recognition or natural language processing.
Superintelligent AI
This type of AI surpasses human intelligence in nearly all aspects. It not only outperforms humans in cognitive tasks but also possesses the ability to improve itself, leading to an exponential increase in intelligence. While superintelligent AI remains largely theoretical at present, it’s a topic of interest and concern within the field of AI.
Reactive machines
Reactive AI systems automatically respond to a limited set or combination of inputs and operate based on the current input without any memory or past experiences. In fact, reactive AI systems don’t have the ability to form memories or learn from previous interactions. They simply react to the current situation or stimulus. Examples include chess-playing AI systems or recommendation algorithms.
Limited memory
AI systems with limited memory can store and retrieve information from previous experiences to make better decisions. They have the ability to learn from past data and use it to improve their future actions. Self-driving cars that use historical data to make driving decisions are an example of limited memory AI.
Theory of mind
This type of AI is still largely theoretical. Theory of mind AI will have the ability to understand and model the mental states, beliefs, and intentions of other agents. They’ll be able to attribute thoughts, emotions, and intentions to other entities and predict their behavior based on this understanding.
Self-aware
While still theoretical and not fully realized, this type of AI would possess human-like awareness and understanding of its own existence. Self-aware AI systems will have a sense of their own existence, consciousness and internal state. They possess self-reflective abilities and are aware of their own thoughts, actions and impact on their environment. True self-aware AI is a concept that remains largely speculative and is currently beyond the capabilities of existing technology.
Generative AI
Generative AI systems are capable of creating content, such as images, videos, music or text, that is nearly indistinguishable from human-generated content. They can autonomously generate new outputs based on their learned patterns and styles.
Generative adversarial networks are an example of generative AI, where one network generates content, and another network evaluates and provides feedback to improve the quality of the generated output.
DeepArt.io: This tool uses neural networks to transform photos into artistic styles from famous artists.
Runway: This platform offers a range of generative AI tools for creating images and videos.
DeepDream: DeepDream is a tool developed by Google that uses generative AI to modify images. It enhances patterns and structures in an image to create dream-like visuals.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT: Generative pretrained transformer is a language model developed by OpenAI to generate human-like text based on a given prompt. The latest model GPT-4 was trained on Microsoft Azure AI supercomputers and is available on ChatGPT Plus.
What AI platforms are available?
When adopting an AI strategy, it’s important to know what software is available for business-focused AI. There are a wide variety of platforms available from the usual cloud computing suspects like Google, AWS, Microsoft and IBM, and choosing the right one can mean the difference between success and failure.
AWS Machine Learning
AWS Machine Learning offers a wide variety of services that run in the AWS cloud. AI services, prebuilt frameworks, analytics tools and more are all available, with many designed to take the legwork out of getting started and others like SageMaker for Business Analysts designed to enable corporations to get AI insight without writing code. AWS offers prebuilt AI algorithms, one-click ML training and training tools for developers getting started in or expanding their knowledge of AI development.
Google Cloud
Google Cloud offers similar AI solutions to AWS, as well as having several prebuilt total AI solutions that organizations can ideally plug into their organizations with minimal effort. Google also distinguishes itself by innovating some of the industry standards for AI like TensorFlow, an open-source ML library.
SEE: Discover Google’s latest generative AI platform Google Bard
Microsoft AI
Microsoft’s AI platform comes with pre-generated services, ready-to-deploy cloud computing infrastructure and a variety of additional AI tools that can be plugged into existing models. Its AI Lab also offers a wide range of AI apps that developers can tinker with and learn from what others have done. Microsoft also offers an AI school with educational tracks specifically for business applications.
Watson
Watson is IBM’s version of cloud-hosted ML and business AI, but it goes a bit farther with more AI options. IBM offers on-site servers custom built for AI tasks for businesses that don’t want to rely on cloud hosting, and it also has IBM AI OpenScale, an AI platform that can be integrated into other cloud hosting services, which could help to avoid vendor lock-in. In 2021, IBM Watson suffered a media backlash after years of overpromising on what its AI could deliver in healthcare, but many enterprises still turn to it for narrower tasks.
What AI skills will businesses need to invest in?
Perhaps the most critical skill needed to use AI is knowing when to skip AI altogether. The reality of AI is that many problems could be solved by applying simple regression analysis or if/then statements. Most AI, in other words, isn’t AI at all: It’s only basic math and common sense.
For more complicated, AI-oriented tasks, the associated data science breaks down into two categories: that which is intended for human consumption and that which is intended for machine consumption.
In the latter case, AI involves complex digital models that apply ML models and AI algorithms to large amounts of data. These systems then act autonomously to generate a particular ad or customer experience or make real-time stock trades. Hence, machine-oriented AI professions require “exceptionally strong mathematical, statistical and computational fluency to build models that can quickly make good predictions,” as former Google and Foursquare data scientist Michael Li has noted.
By contrast, the skills needed for more human-oriented data science and AI skew toward storytelling. Given that no data is unbiased, the role of human intelligence is to help the data tell clear stories. Such AI storytellers use data visualization to facilitate exploration and insights into that data.
For many in AI, the most sophisticated math they’ll do is power analyses and significance tests. They might write SQL queries to get data, do basic math on that data, graph results and then explain the results. Not gee whiz data science, but it’s incredibly helpful for breaking down complex data into actionable insights, to use the data science lingo.
With all that in mind, it’s still true that skills needed for an AI project differ based on business needs and the platform being used, though most of the biggest platforms support most, if not all, of the most commonly used AI programming languages and skills needed.
Many business AI platforms offer training courses in the specifics of running their architecture and the programming languages needed to develop more AI tools. Businesses that are serious about AI should plan to either hire new employees or give existing ones the time and resources necessary to train in the skills needed to make AI projects succeed.
How can businesses start using AI?
Getting started with business AI isn’t as easy as simply spending money on an AI platform provider and spinning up some prebuilt models and algorithms. There’s a lot that goes into successfully adding AI to an organization.
At the heart of it, all is good project planning. Adding artificial intelligence to a business, no matter how it will be used, is like any business transformation initiative. Here’s an outline of just one way to approach getting started with business AI.
Determine your AI objective
To begin, figure out how AI can be used in your organization and to what end. By focusing on a narrower implementation with a specific goal, you can better allocate resources.
Identify what needs to happen to get there
Once you know where you want to be, you can figure out where you are and how to make the journey. This could include starting to sort existing data, gathering new data, hiring talent and other pre-project steps.
Build a team
With an end goal in sight and a plan to get there, it’s time to assemble the best team to make it happen. This can include current employees, but don’t be afraid to go outside the organization to find the most qualified people. Be sure to allow existing staff to train so they have the opportunity to contribute to the project.
Choose an AI platform
Some AI platforms may be better suited to particular projects, but by and large, they all offer similar products in order to compete with each other. Let your team give recommendations on which AI platform to choose — they’re the experts who will be in the trenches.
Begin implementation
With a goal, team and platform, you’re ready to start working in earnest. This won’t be quick: AI machines need to be trained, testing on subsets of data has to be performed and lots of tweaks will need to be made before a business AI is ready to hit the real world. In fact, you should expect that the vast majority of your time won’t be spent in crafting sexy algorithms, but rather in data preparation. ... Original post > TechRepublic by Aminu Abdullahi
Social media has been flooded with chatter about the chatbot phenomenon ChatGPT which seems destined to be able to, if not far better do, what humans can! So, what does this mean for employees? Can an employee be replaced by a bot like ChatGPT? In this article, we take a closer look at what this could mean for employees in the not-so-distant future.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot which can not only assimilate vast quantities of data and provide startlingly accurate information and insights but can also assist with a range of tasks such as creating graphics, answering questions and composing music, tasks to date perceived to fall squarely within the capabilities of humans only.
However, with a bot like ChatGPT passing the final exam for the MBA programme in research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, questions start abounding about whether the ‘reserved for humans only’ abilities are still so reserved, and if no longer, what this means for humankind.
ChatGPT can perform and ‘automate’ skills possessed by paid workers owing to its advanced knowledge and ability to produce human-like answers. Have a query on your mind? Simply insert the query and ChatGPT has you covered, in many cases more comprehensively than your average person would or could do.
As with any new technology, there are concerns, especially regarding the accuracy of the answers it provides and intensive research is being conducted into the model. However, without a doubt, the impact and potential of ChatGPT have been felt and businesses are already planning to integrate the functionality of a bot like ChatGPT into their workplace. ‘And why not?’ you may ask. It’s highly accurate, works at the speed of light, and provides amazingly accurate responses to complex tasks.
On the flip side, it also means that many of the jobs which an AI bot may replace, and currently performed by humans, will be rendered obsolete by this new technology. Think of financial, media, legal and other industries heavily reliant on data and its assimilation. An AI bot could do the data crunching of hundreds of lawyers or produce news content to replace a regiment of journalists.
Such a reality, which seems likely given the apparent capabilities of ChatGPT, will potentially render redundant certain categories of employees, now to be performed by AI. But what will happen to employees in positions now rendered redundant? Can the employer just fire them?
So, “no” the employer cannot just fire them, but “yes” these employees could be retrenched and in such a manner lose their jobs. In South Africa, this would mean that the employer would have to follow the retrenchment procedures as set out in the Labour Relations Act. Nevertheless, such employees may be facing unemployment because of AI.
According to our labour laws, retrenchment processes can be undertaken when an employer, due to the economic, structural or other needs of the business, contemplates retrenching employees. Such needs can include the introduction of new technologies capable of performing tasks which would otherwise be performed by an ordinary human employee.
To give credence to this threat, various tech companies around the world such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google have retrenched employees due to the developments in the technology industry. Microsoft is currently in the process of retrenching thousands of its employees as it invests billions in AI.
As much as AI is unlikely to be an immediate threat to South African jobs, note must be taken of these developments to ensure that both employer and employee alike are prepared for a future that heralds an increasing prevalence of AI in all facets of our lives. It’s time to reimagine and rethink the way we work, so that human persons and AI can work together towards efficient and high-quality productivity.
This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE) ... Original post > Human Alliance
In April, the subject of a reduced working week for South Africa came up in a Parliamentary Q&A session. A study conducted by researchers at Oxford University found that South Africa has one of the longest working weeks in the world and this prompted the discussion. The government noted that research had previously been conducted into the state of the working week in South Africa, however, new data needed to be collected.
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) states that workers are only allowed to work a maximum of 45 hours per week. (This does not include overtime.) However, these stipulations do not apply to senior managers or those who earn above the threshold. (As of 1 March 2023, this was set at R241 110.59 per year.) Under a collective agreement, working hours can be averaged out over four months.
The Four-Day Work Week In SA
Although popularised in recent years, the notion of the ‘four-day work week’ has been around for most of the 20th century. In 1928 economic John Maynard Keynes predicted that the 15-hour work week would become the norm in the next century.
Fast forward to the 21st century and in many countries the shortened working week has been implemented with great success. For instance, in one of their Japanese subsidiaries, Microsoft applied the four-day work week and productivity increased by 40%. Overall, according to an article entitled Four-Day Work Weeks Are Good for Your Health, a Large Study Finds, written by Jamie Ducharme and published on the time.com website, the four-day work week improves employees’ health by reducing anxiety and stress as well as enabling better sleep and more time for exercise.
A four-day work week could be applicable to some organisations. Less time in meetings and more time to focus on outputs can get an organisation to that point. What South Africa cannot afford is a reduction in working time without an increase in productivity or a reduction in pay. So, for instance, in a factory working in a seven-day shift cycle, you could have a shift system accommodating a four-day working week with fewer hours worked. That would however have to be with reduced pay or a guaranteed increase in productivity.
COVID-19 pushed us into a new reality where South Africans and the world had to embrace technology and the new world of work. While a four-day work week could be possible if the factors above are addressed, one suspects that this would be quite a challenge to practically implement in the South African context across the wide variety of sectors operating in the country. As a result, it may be a journey - rather than an event – to get to this point. But as COVID-19 showed us, never say never. South Africans are remarkably innovative and resilient.
We are your trusted resource for all your employment and labour-related needs. Should you require any further information or assistance, please don't hesitate to engage with us or visit our websites. Grant Wilkinson, myself (Jonathan Goldberg) and our dedicated teams at Global Business Solutions and Kirchmanns Incorporate are here to provide you with expert support and guidance.
You’ve probably asked these generic questions more times than you’d like to admit. The problem isn’t just that they’re passé — it’s that candidates can see them coming a mile away and they’ve prepped predictable answers to your predictable questions. Instead, you want to generate thought-provoking answers.
Here are 10 intriguing and unexpected interview questions that candidates probably haven’t prepared for. They might just make for some insightful conversation too.
1. Describe yourself in one word
As it turns out, it’s actually pretty hard to summarize your entire person in one single adjective. Especially when you’re put on the spot.
For a challenging follow-up question, consider asking them to name one negative adjective that describes them. It’s easy to boast of positive traits, but if your candidate can admit a flaw, it shows that they’re self-aware and always looking to improve.
2. Tell me about an interesting experience or encounter you’ve had recently
The best recruits come equipped with insatiable curiosity and a creative edge — two key traits that make an employee ready to contribute to a company looking to stand out in an ever-changing, competitive consumer landscape. As Nancy Brown, CEO of The American Heart Association, wrote for Fortune, “Creative thinking serves as a catalyst; it inspires us to engage in conversation and analysis, and to assess all that might be possible.”
You’ll also get a sense of their perspective and person: what they like, dislike, and value.
3. What is your biggest pet peeve?
While no one wants to stump candidates just for the fun of it, you do want to get to know the real them — and that means both the good and the bad. No one’s perfect: we all have things that push our buttons.
Workplace expert and author Lynn Taylor breaks the value of this question down perfectly in one of her publications: “[We] want to learn about what irritates you firsthand and are hoping you'll offer at least some insight: How do you handle minor frustrations? Are you easily rattled? Do your pet peeves arise routinely in the position?”
Ultimately, you’re getting towards a solid understanding of what it will be like to work with the candidate on a daily basis. This question may also help you learn something unique about them.
4. How do you define success?
This one can be tough for candidates. A response can easily snowball into an excessively long and sentimental story. It probes into their personal vision, while also assessing questions of what candidates can add to your company's culture.
The best candidates might already have a well-defined sense of purpose — and can point out how it resonates with your company's values. While there is no real “correct” answer to a question like this, it does tell you a few things, like whether they’re more motivated by personal gain or collective causes, and whether their perspective aligns with the team they’d be working with.
5. Do you consider yourself lucky?
Nothing makes or breaks a candidate more than their attitude. This seemingly awkward question is actually quite telling when it comes to determining a candidate’s outlook.
Look for candidates who combine a sense of optimism and gratitude for those people and opportunities that have helped them, while still hitting on those skills that have ultimately allowed them to achieve their successes. Those that have trouble attributing their accomplishments to anyone besides themselves or focus more on missed chances might raise a red flag.
6. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a manager’s instructions or point of view in the workplace. What did you do?
Hopefully, your candidate won’t tell you about a time when they screamed at a former boss, or on the other hand, pretend they’ve never disagreed with anything asked of them.
Their answer will uncover the candidate’s sense of professionalism and humility, along with their judgment and instincts. How a candidate goes about handling a disagreement with a fellow employee or manager speaks volumes about their character, and whether they’re actually ready to be a positive team player or not.
The best candidates will also have a natural understanding of when to take direction and when to ask questions, and will be able to tell you a story of a time when they felt the need to go against the grain and take a risk. After all, according to Pandora vice president of talent Sarah Wagener, following our instincts pays dividends. “There are lost opportunities for all of us when we’re not following our instincts," she says. "There have been moments in my career where I have needed to make a decision driven by instincts and my gut feeling. When I reflect back, these were career-defining moments.”
7. How will you tackle this specific project expected of the role?
Instead of having your interviewee tell their whole life story, this prompt forces them to focus on one key selling point of their resume — which will likely require them to think a bit more before answering.
To really get them thinking, ask the candidate how they would go about tackling a project expected of them in the position they’re applying for. “Have them highlight key components, including goals, who they’ll consult with (by title), what data they’ll analyze, how they’ll communicate with their team, the metrics for assessing their plan’s success, etc.,” suggests HR thought leader Dr. John Sullivan in an article for Harvard Business Review.
Take note of the aspects of their response that are innovative — as well as any critical steps they may have missed. Their response will shed light on their ambition and perseverance in executing an undertaking from start to finish, as well as their organization and project management skills.
8. When have you failed? What did you learn from this experience?
New York Times best-selling author and Leadership IQ founder Mark Murphy puts it simply: “Experiencing failure is inevitable. But, some people handle those times a lot better than others. And, those are the people you want to hire.”
Getting back up, brushing the dirt off our shoulders, and pushing forward is critical in both our personal lives and careers, especially when we’re faced with an unforeseen obstacle. Even if they pause at first, see if your candidate can share a harrowing tale and how they’ve ultimately used the experience as a teachable moment. If they can’t talk about failure, you may have a case of an inflated ego on your hands, which is anything but a productive addition to your team.
9. What two or three trends in our industry might disrupt our work, and how should we go about meeting these changes?
Change can be intimidating. But your best candidates won’t think so.
Instead, they’ll be revved up in the face of a challenge, utilizing their comprehensive knowledge of their industry, foresight, and creativity to brainstorm ways to approach shifts in the industry landscape that will benefit the company and put you at the leading edge.
“No one can predict the future, but you want someone who is thinking about it every day,” says Dr. John Sullivan. Adaptability makes the difference between a hire that is good for the moment, and a hire that will prove to be an asset for your team long-term.
10. Why are you memorable?
Loaded questions do have their place in a good interview, and there’s nothing like an existential question to get them to dig deep.
This unexpected interview question forces candidates to not only think about what sets them apart from the other resumes in your stack, but also how others view them and the impact they’ll make at the company if hired. You’ll get a perspective into their honesty, humility, self-awareness, and confidence. Bonus points for candidates that can deliver an answer that’s clear and right to the point, just like a good elevator pitch.
Incorporate these 10 tough questions for more insightful interviews. Overall, you’ll narrow in on the best talent for your business and streamline your interview process, saving both you and your top candidates time and energy so they can get to work, stat. ... Original LinkedIn Post > Authored by Greg Lewis
Do you want to be happier, have more influence, be a better decision-maker, and be a more effective leader? Self-awareness, then, is the most important muscle you need to develop. It's what will keep you on target to be the best version of yourself and the best leader you can be.
The benefits of self-awareness are as varied as each individual, and examples include increased influence, greater perspective, and stronger relationships. Let's dig into what self-awareness is and ways to develop it.
"Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don't align with your internal standards. If you're highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you."
Put simply, those who are highly self-aware can interpret their actions, feelings, and thoughts objectively.
It’s a rare skill, as many of us spiral into emotion-driven interpretations of our circumstances. Developing self-awareness is important because it allows leaders to assess their growth and effectiveness and change course when necessary.
Two states of self-awareness
There are two distinct kinds of self-awareness, public and private.
Public self-awareness: Being aware of how we can appear to others. Because of this consciousness, we are more likely to adhere to social norms and behave in ways that are socially acceptable.
While there are benefits to this type of awareness, there is also the danger of tipping into self-consciousness. Those who are especially high in this trait may spend too much time worrying about what others think of them.
For example, you may notice yourself tensing up as you are preparing for an important meeting. Noticing the physical sensations and correctly attributing them to your anxiety about the meeting would be an example of private self-awareness.
When self-awareness tips into self-consciousness, we are reluctant to share certain aspects of ourselves. We develop a persona that lacks authenticity.
Why is self-awareness important?
The Eurich group has researched the nature of self-awareness. Their research indicates that when we look inward, we can clarify our values, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses. We are able to recognize the effect that we have on others. Eurich's research finds that people with self-awareness are happier and have better relationships. They also experience a sense of personal and social control as well as higher job satisfaction.
When we look outward, we understand how people view us. People who are aware of how people see them are more likely to be empathetic to people with different perspectives. Leaders whose self-perception matches others' perceptions are more likely to empower, include, and recognize others.
Benefits of self-awareness
As we mentioned earlier, strengthening self-awareness has a variety of benefits. The specifics of each one depends on the individual.
Here are some examples of common benefits of self-awareness:
It gives us the power to influence outcomes
It helps us to become better decision-makers It gives us more self-confidence — so, as a result, we communicate with clarity and intention
It allows us to understand things from multiple perspectives
Self-awareness is a staple in contemporary leadership jargon. Although many leaders will brag about how self-aware they are, only 10 to 15 percent of the population fit the criteria.
Many of us grew up with the message that you should not show your emotions, so we attempt to ignore or suppress them. With negative emotions, that doesn't go very well for us. We either internalize them (resulting in anger, resentment, depression, and resignation) or we externalize them and blame, discount, or bully others.
Lack of self-awareness can be a significant handicap in leadership. A study conducted by Adam D. Galinsky and colleagues at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management found that often, as executives climb the corporate ladder, they become more self-assured and confident. On the downside, they tend to become more self-absorbed and less likely to consider the perspectives of others.
In a separate study, Canadian researchers looked at brain activity in people who are in positions of power. They found physiological evidence to conclude that as power increases, the ability to empathize with others decreases. They become less able to consider the needs and perspectives of others. Fundamentally these leaders don't think they need to change and instead require a change from everyone else.
What's the self-awareness gap?
How do I know if I'm a self-aware person?
Don't despair if you don't make the 10-15 percent self-awareness cut. If you want to know how self-aware you are, the iNLP Center has 12 multiple-choice questions that will tell you the level of your self-awareness and what you can do to improve it. The assessment is research-based and developed by Mike Bundrant, a neuro-linguistic trainer and life coach.
The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) is a great tool for you to use to identify your dominant strengths and is free on the VIA website. It measures your answers across six broad categories with a total of 24 strengths. Take the assessment, and you'll generate a report identifying your top 5 strengths and how to begin to optimize them.
How to become a more self-aware person
Envision yourself
Visualize the best version of yourself. "Ideal selves reflect our hopes, dreams, aspirations, and speak to our skills, abilities, achievements, and accomplishments that we wish to attain.” (Higgins, 1987; Markus & Nurius, 1986.) As you lean into your strengths to become the better version of yourself, you can use this idealized self to keep moving in the right direction and not be distracted by setbacks and other obstacles.
Ask the “what” questions
At the core of self-awareness is the ability to self-reflect. However, the Eurich group contends that most people are going about reflection in the wrong way. The trouble is, we ask ourselves the wrong questions. In our attempt to resolve internal conflict, we ask, "Why?" Yet there’s no way to answer that question since we don’t have access to our unconscious. Instead, we make up answers that may not be accurate.
The danger of the "why" question is that it sends us down the rabbit hole of our negative thoughts. We focus on our weaknesses and insecurities. Consider Amy, a new junior executive who has difficulty speaking up at meetings. She may explain her experience to herself by thinking, "I don't speak up at meetings because I fall too low in the corporate food chain. No one's going to listen to me."
Asking the "what question" puts us into the objective and open space of considering all the factors influencing a particular outcome. For example, instead of “Why don't I speak up at meetings?” we could ask:
"What were the interpersonal dynamics in the room?"
"What was I experiencing in my body at the time?"
"What happened that caused me to go into my old story of not being good enough?”
“What can I do to overcome my fear of speaking up?"
This kind of introspection allows us to look at behaviors and beliefs for what they are. With self-awareness, we can examine old patterns and stories that do not serve us, and then we can move on. Asking the right questions empowers us to make different choices that bring different results.
Amy decides to make a plan because now she understands that she has a chance at overcoming her problem.
She's going to find out more about the content and goals of an upcoming meeting to become more confident in how she can contribute.
Rather than being consumed by imagining what others are thinking about her, she'll actively listen for cues to ask meaningful questions that move the conversation forward.
With a heightened awareness of the cues her body is giving her signaling fear and anxiety, she’ll name the emotion at the moment and choose not to be overwhelmed by it — one giant step to self-awareness.
Strengthen your brain
The amygdala, also called the primitive brain, was the first part of the brain to develop in humans. It functioned as a kind of radar signaling the need to run away or fight back. That part of the brain is skilled at anticipating danger and reacts before we can even name a negative emotion. Our heart races, our stomach tightens, and our neck muscles tense up.
Your body's reaction is a tripwire signaling the pre-frontal cortex to register or name a negative emotion. If you bring awareness to your physical state, you can, at the moment, recognize the emotion as it is happening. Becoming skillful at this rewires your brain.
Naming your feelings is critical in decision-making. When we let our feelings overwhelm us, we can make bad decisions with unintended consequences. Naming your emotions allows us to take a "third-person" perspective to stand back and more objectively evaluate what's going on.
Let's bring this home with an example. You, a self-aware person, are having a conversation with someone and receiving some negative feedback. Your heart starts to race, and you're feeling threatened. You say to yourself, "I feel like this person is attacking me." But, before you cry or go ballistic, you stop yourself and hear the person out. You discover that this person had at least one good point and start up a different conversation, one that is mutually satisfying and productive.
Ask others about their perception of you
Now that you've discovered that feedback doesn't have to be scary, ask other people how they perceive you in certain situations. Getting specific will help to give you the most concrete feedback. Get brave and ask them how they would like to see you behave.
Exercise: Pick out a scenario(s) you would like to receive feedback on and list them.
Make two columns.
Column A: How I see myself
Column B: How others see me
In Column A make a list of words to describe your attitude and behaviors at the time.
Then, ask your feedback partner to do the same and record those responses in Column B.
Look out for discrepancies. You may have some blind spots that need attending.
Keep a journal
Journalling is a great way to pay attention to what's going on in your private and public self. It will also help you to recognize patterns that either serve you or not. You may use these prompts:
What did I do well today?
What challenges did I face?
What was I feeling?
How did I respond? In retrospect, would I have responded differently?
What strengths did I use to keep me focused on the best version of myself?
The road to self-awareness is a journey. The most self-aware people see themselves on a quest to mastery rather than at a particular destination. As you move forward in developing your self-awareness, ask yourself regularly, “How will you move toward the best version of yourself today?” ... Original post > Betterup
So, it’s worth asking: Do recruiters actually know what candidates want?
To find out, we asked nearly 2,000 recruiting pros to select what they believed were the most important factors for candidates when considering a new job. Then we compared their choices to the real responses of over 20,000 candidates.
This comparison reveals a few interesting gaps and misalignments. Surprisingly, recruiters might be undervaluing factors as essential as employee happiness, while overemphasizing certain perks and benefits.
Addressing these gaps can help recruiters recalibrate the way they pitch jobs to candidates and what they choose to highlight. Read on to learn about the four biggest disparities where recruiting pros missed the mark — and how a few simple tweaks could help you better connect with candidates.
Recruiting pros underestimate the importance of employee happiness
One of the biggest disparities this data reveals is about the importance of employee happiness. While 28% of candidates selected “happy and inspired employees” as one of the top factors they weigh when considering a job, just 15% of recruiting pros thought it’d be a high priority for candidates.
Of course, recruiters know intuitively that employee happiness is important — but these findings suggest that it’s even more important to candidates than many in recruiting realize. Don’t lose sight of this simple point: People want to work somewhere where people are happy.
If you think about it from the candidate’s perspective, employee happiness is a decent measure of all the disparate parts of a company’s culture, boiled down to a simple question: Are people happy to be working there? In other words, candidates aren’t missing the forest for the trees — make sure you don’t miss it, either.
Recruiting pros overestimate the importance of flexible work arrangements
One of the biggest disparities in the other direction is on flexible work arrangements — an unquestionably important factor that recruiters may be fixating on just a little too much.
Make no mistake: Flexible work arrangements are one of the most important priorities for candidates — in fact, it’s ranked as the third-most important, after compensation and work-life balance.
The lesson for recruiters: Don’t let specifics crowd out the big picture
So, what should recruiters take away from these two disparities? It comes down to the age-old adage of “show, don’t tell.”
It’s tempting to tell candidates all about the specifics of this or that policy or perk, since you’re steeped in those details and differentiators. And there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when candidates express interest.
But don’t neglect to show the end-result of all those amazing perks and policies — a happy, engaged, and involved workforce. Instead of inundating them with a laundry list of specifics, find opportunities to showcase how employees feel working there.
As the saying often goes: People may forget what you said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel. Similarly, when a candidate is considering joining your company, they might not remember all the details of your offer — but if you make them feel that they’ll truly be happy working at your company, that’s an impression they won’t soon forget.
Recruiting pros underestimate skill development and overestimate career advancements
Now we’ll consider two more areas where recruiters and candidates are misaligned: the opportunity to develop new, highly desired skills and the opportunity for career growth within the company.
This time, we’re looking at both together because, in many ways, these are two sides of the same coin. Both employer value propositions ladder up to the same larger idea: that this job will be good for your long-term career.
The biggest difference is whether you’re focusing on the person or the company. Developing new skills means the candidate becomes more desirable and has more career opportunities inside and outside the organization. On the other hand, advancing up the ranks presumes the candidate will still be at the company for multiple position changes.
Perhaps that’s why recruiters and candidates are misaligned on this question. A third of all candidates (34%) consider skill development to be a top factor, compared with just 23% of recruiting pros. Conversely, 60% of recruiting pros thought advancement opportunities would be a top factor, compared with just 35% of candidates.
Recruiters could be overindexing on the idea of career advancement because they’d like to imagine the new hire will stay for many years.
After all, retention is one of the most important metrics for recruiters. But that may or may not be what the candidate is picturing for their future.
The lesson for recruiters: Speak about a candidate’s career growth from their perspective, not your company’s
Again, recruiting professionals may be approaching this from the company’s perspective, rather than putting themselves in the candidate’s shoes. The data shows that candidates are equally interested in developing new skills and advancing up the ranks — but if you focus exclusively on growing within the company, it could signal that you’re putting the company’s best interests ahead of what the candidate really cares about.
It might sound odd for a recruiter to tell a candidate, “with the skills you’ll develop within your first year here, you’ll be able to find a job anywhere” — but there’s no doubt that’ll be part of the candidate’s calculations. Being straightforward and showing you truly care speaks to the most human aspects of being a great recruiter: connecting with candidates through empathy.
Methodology
You can read more about what matters to candidates and how the role of recruiting is evolving in LinkedIn’s2023 Future of Recruiting report.
In the LinkedIn Talent Drivers survey, members are asked to select up to five of the most important factors for them when they consider a new job, out of a list of 15 different factors. Recruiting professionals were given the same 15 factors and told to select up to five of the top factors for candidates. Recruiting professionals’ answers were collected via survey in November 2022 and are compared to Talent Drivers results from the same month. While the numbers have fluctuated slightly in following months, they do not significantly change the findings or takeaways in this analysis.
Finally, it’s worth noting that overall recruiters do have a decent sense of what candidates want. In most cases, their estimates were in the right neighborhood. This analysis focuses on the biggest disparities in order to help recruiters improve their messaging to candidates. ... Original post > Authored by Greg Lewis
There has been an increase in employees disengaging emotionally, mentally and sometimes physically from their work – a trend now known more widely as ‘quiet quitting’.
The trend involves employees disengaging from a job and doing the bare minimum and has raised eyebrows as a worrisome trend taking its toll on everyday businesses
Ncumisa Madinda, a member solutions executive at Momentum Corporate, said that this trend is a dangerous phenomenon that often masks underlying emotional and mental health issues.
According to Madinda, this trend speaks volumes about the pressing need to prioritise employee wellness and address the underlying factors contributing to this rise in mental health issues.
“When employees disengage, productivity plummets, decreasing creativity, innovation, and overall performance. As these individuals silently suffer, organisations face the risk of losing valuable talent, resulting in increased turnover rates and decreased employee morale.”
“This vicious cycle perpetuates a toxic work culture, hampering personal and professional growth,” said the executive.
A recent Mental State of the World 2022 report revealed that South Africa ranked among the lowest-scoring countries as socioeconomic fluctuations led to a deterioration of employee mental health.
While ‘quiet quitting’ is often associated with younger employees, the mental stresses that underpin the trend are not alien to older employees.
Madinda noted that people approaching retirement often face the daunting realisation that they have inadequate savings, leaving them overwhelmed and helpless.
“Financial pressures create a breeding ground for mental distress, forcing people into a silent resignation from their work and life ambitions,” said Madinda.
She said that the energy crisis is also often overlooked for having a deteriorating effect on employees’ mental state.
“Frequent power outages and uncertainties surrounding energy availability further contribute to stress and anxiety, leaving individuals grappling with personal and professional challenges. This is particularly true in remote and hybrid working environments.”
As a result of these compounding negative factors, South Africans have more reason to quit quietly.
To combat this, it is up to employers to prioritise employee wellness by creating a supportive work environment that will foster open communication, promote work-life balance and provide access to mental health resources.
Ultimately, employers can support employees, reversing the trend and fostering a healthier, more productive workforce.
Late last year, legal experts found that quiet quitting is only an unlawful way of leaving an occupation if an employee ends up doing less than they are mandated to do so in terms of their employment contract. ... Original post > Business Tech
