Workplaces are changing and job fears are growing, but businesses must implement new strategies without spreading panic, says VP
AI is revolutionizing the workplace and there is no escaping its impact on knowledge work that was once considered the epitome of job security. The fear among employees is real and Sonja Nelsen, vice-president of human resources at Peak Group of Companies in Richmond, B.C., believes HR executives must be proactive not only in adoption but in being transparent about why.
“It really comes down to the HR leader and the senior leaders figuring out how to integrate [AI] into the business without panicking people. We need to have a proactive approach and not wait to bring in all this new technology.”
A recent global analysis by Evercore ISI and Visionary Future, examining more than 160 million U.S. jobs, found that nearly every occupation carries some degree of AI exposure. White-collar roles, especially those anchored in information processing, memorization and data analysis, are particularly vulnerable. This aligns with research from OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania, which suggests that 80 per cent of U.S. workers have at least 10 per cent of their tasks exposed to large language models, and 19 per cent have more than half of their tasks potentially automatable.
The nature of work is changing, and so too must the strategies for managing talent. Nelsen said HR must be effective in explaining to its workforce that AI is an opportunity not a threat. “We need to embrace [AI] as a tool to help us move faster and be more informed. When I talk to people, I say AI is not a threat. They’re worried that AI is going to take our jobs and the further it progresses in different industries, is going to eliminate jobs. And you know what? If it's not AI, it's going to be something else that impacts job loss.”
The shift is particularly pronounced in clerical and administrative positions — roles that form the connective tissue of many organizations. Data entry, scheduling, invoice processing and correspondence are all activities that AI can now handle at scale.
‘Focus on the positive’
Yet, as Nelsen points out, the focus should be on leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and decision-making. At Peak Group, the HR team is already exploring AI-powered human resource systems to streamline recruitment. “Right now we're looking at different HRS platforms that have AI technology built in to help us with screening candidates. So, what might take my HRBP an hour to find three good candidates, AI can take 10 seconds. And so that's the message. It's just really, how can we look at AI and focus on the positive.”
Quelling any sense of panic in employees is, however, no easy task, especially with large scale layoffs being reported every week, particularly in the US, but also in Canada. Communication and transparency around business decisions are, therefore, critical to maintaining trust and minimizing fear.
“We have here an amazing a director of IT who communicates the benefits of AI, he communicates some of the challenges with AI, and he's very open and transparent, and that's what we need to do,” Nelsen said.
Ultimately, the risk for HR is not just technological, but cultural. “When there’s no communicating and then there's job loss, that's where the fear happens. It's really in our approach and our communication, and not being afraid to talk about it in the workplace and just instilling it into the culture.”
