The Great Resignation, turned Forever Resignation, is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal moments in the Future of Work. But what role will artificial intelligence play in it? There is no doubt that AI is already having a major impact on the workforce (plot twist: it’s not taking jobs from people as past horror stories predicted). Let’s take a look at some of the ways that AI is changing the way we work, and why that could be a good thing for both employees and businesses.
What is the Great Resignation and why is it important?
The Great Resignation has a few names now, but the main idea is employees quitting their jobs in droves since the pandemic. It’s a response to the increasing precarity of work, the self-reflective time people spent quarantined, and the feeling that traditional employment no longer offers the stability or opportunity it once did.
A recent Forbes article writes, “The Great Resignation. The Great Reshuffle. The Big Quit. All terms to describe the pandemic-era trend that is seeing workers resign from their roles en masse.”
The Great Resignation is a symptom of the broken system we’ve been operating under for far too long. It’s a sign that people are tired of being treated like cogs in a machine, and they’re ready to take their career into their own hands.
At a recent HR Tech Conference, one keynote speaker said, “The Great Resignation is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. People have realized what matters to them, and you need to offer them an emotional employee experience where they can feel human…If not, they are not going to work for you.”
The Great Resignation has turned mainstream
Unlike some workforce trends, the Great Resignation speaks to the needs and wants of humanity in a huge way. This isn’t just a niche HR topic anymore. Even pop-culture is getting involved in the conversation. That’s right, the Future of Work has Beyoncé chiming in now.
Her recent song, Break My Soul, has become a “Great Resignation anthem,” write HR Dive. “Within 24 hours of the song’s release, the search query “how to resign” jumped by 350% and “great resignation” skyrocketed by 1,550% in the U.S..”
With voices like this impacting the talent pool, it’s clear the Great Resignation is here to stay. So what does this have to do with AI?
What role is artificial intelligence playing in the Great Resignation?
Artificial intelligence is playing a huge role in the Great Resignation, and not just because Beyoncé is talking about it in her songs. AI is helping to create the conditions for all things Great Resignation by:
- Allowing for remote work: One of the main reasons people are resigning is because they want more flexibility in their lives, and many AI tools are making it possible for people to work from anywhere in the world.
- Helping HR: AI can help with things like identifying top talent, weeding out unconscious bias in hiring practices, and even predicting when an employee is about to resign so preemptive action can be taken.
- Empowering workers: AI can give employees the power to take their careers into their own hands by matching them with opportunities they might not have otherwise had access to.
These are just a few of the ways that AI is impacting the Great Resignation. It’s clear that this technology is playing a major role in shaping the Future of Work, and it’s something we need to pay close attention to.
AI is creating more jobs than it’s taking
AI is already having a major impact on the workforce, and that trend is only going to continue. But maybe it’s not happening in the way you would think.
For most people, artificial intelligence conjures up images from science fiction movies with robots stealing jobs from humans in some dystopian future world; however this could not be further from how AI is impacting the workforce.
In 2020, MIT conducted thorough research on artificial intelligence and the Future of Work. They concluded that “recent fears about AI leading to mass unemployment are unlikely to be realized. Instead, we believe that—like all previous labor-saving technologies—AI will enable new industries to emerge, creating more new jobs than are lost to the technology.”
In fact, the world’s top companies are already using AI in their businesses to help with their workforces. To learn more, here’s 5 Things You Need to Know About AI and the Future of Work.
Why could this be a good thing for employees and businesses alike?
Overall, we believe AI is having a positive impact on the workforce. It’s creating new opportunities for employees and businesses alike. Here are a few reasons why:
- It’s giving employees more control over their careers.
- It can automate tedious and time-consuming tasks.
- It’s helping businesses hire top talent and while staying compliant.
AI can also help you hire the talent you want – even as independent workers. Legally you can’t hire someone as a contractor if they’re actually performing what the DOL considers an employee’s job. Worker classification is just one specific area where AI can save you time and money.
You can mitigate worker misclassification risks using the world’s first AI-driven classification engine. GreenLight’s innovative system uses all of the data and industry knowledge at our disposal in order to classify workers with an exceptionally high level of confidence.
We’re classification experts who rigorously update and maintain our systems in compliance with the most recent laws, mandates, and court rulings. Our AI determines the correct worker classification and your workers either become employees of GreenLight or we hire them as an approved contractor.
So no matter what happens with the Great Resignation, using GreenLight, you get any worker you want from almost anywhere in the world without having to worry about government agencies.
