HR Professionals ready to embrace AI in the face of burnout

A new global report from Sage reveals that HR professionals welcome AI to ease the burden of admin jobs, take away time consuming tasks, and, ultimately, ease burnout.

The annual report, titled ‘The Changing Face of HR’, surveyed over 1,000 HR leaders across a range of sectors and countries, finding that 77% believe AI has the potential to revolutionise ways of working within their company. With 95% of respondents reporting an increase in their workload over the past year and 91% seeing an increase in more responsibilities in their role.

The research also revealed that:

Amount of work (80%), low morale and burnout of employees (79%) and limited budgets (79%) are the top challenges keeping HR professionals up at night

80% of HR professionals believe the role of HR will change considerably due to AI

71% of HR professionals believe implementing AI in HR tasks will create more jobs

45% of HR leaders are currently using HR metrics, 44% are utilising automation, and 43% employing cloud HR solutions, showing a significant shift towards automation and analytics

The report also highlighted some areas of focus, with more than half (56%) of HR Leaders reporting that they need more technology to operate effectively. By utilising technology HR leaders will be able to collect, analyse, and report meaningful data-driven insights to better inform their decisions. Training was identified as key to taking advantage of the benefits of technology with 79% agreeing that education was needed to fully capitalise on AI’s capabilities.

Future outlook

Looking forward to the future, the top three areas HR professionals want to spend more time on are strategic planning (61%), using data to drive decision-making (59%) and employee engagement (59%). This demonstrates a fundamental shift from paperwork to people strategies, meaning that there is a need to automate labour-intensive HR admin tasks. Although 68% say over half of the HR processes in their organisation are automated, 79% say more could be automated to improve efficiency.

Interestingly, the research also revealed a gap between small businesses (57%) and medium businesses (80%) in terms of automation levels, indicating that smaller companies may benefit from investing in HR technology to keep up with larger competitors.

The report concludes that HR professionals are well-positioned to navigate these changes and continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of work.

Sonia Tshabalala, Regional People Director at Sage, highlights that South African HR professionals are increasingly adopting AI to ease workloads, boost competitiveness, and foster job creation. With 44% utilizing automation and 43% leveraging cloud technology, the importance of technology has become paramount. Despite facing challenges such as heavy workloads and limited budgets, they are turning to automation for solutions. By harnessing technology for strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, and employee engagement, HR leaders can gather and analyse valuable insights, positioning themselves to navigate changes and shape the future of work.

Amanda Cusdin, CPO at Sage, observes that HR professionals are under growing pressure to deliver results while juggling an expanding list of responsibilities. However, the industry and its professionals are resilient, and those who embrace technology and AI will reclaim valuable time, crucial for avoiding burnout. Consequently, HR professionals can redirect their focus to areas of their jobs that they find more fulfilling, such as people strategies, potentially boosting job satisfaction.

Ben Brooks, Founder and CEO at Pilot, underscores the significance of HR analytics in strategic HR management. Just as other departments rely on data to illustrate progress, challenges, and performance against goals, HR must do the same. Leveraging technology to gather, analyse, and report meaningful data-driven insights becomes a powerful tool for HR.