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Your employees are complaining about the basics not about AI
Get the small stuff right and I guarantee you that you will wipe the floor with everyone out there with fancy HR interventions and AI tools.
Using predictive AI to anticipate resignations—yes, that’s the latest craze software companies are pitching to HR. Promising... well, I’m not entirely sure what. I have a million questions about this, but let me just start with this: Imagine living in a relationship where all you do is predict when the other is leaving instead of fixing the reasons for leaving.
People are leaving or dissatisfied because the basics are not in place. You are bringing in another shiny tool while:
- Candidates are being ghosted
- Unpaid overtime is rampant
- Employees still don’t know what is expected of them
- The job description doesn’t correspond to the job
- Salaries are delayed and not shown in the job advertisement
- Onboarding is non-existent
- Managers are unfair
- Leaders are toxic
- Dismissals are unfair or ungrounded
- Employees and candidates are lied to
- Employees' resignations are rejected
- HR is doing illegal stuff- Performance management doesn't manage performance
- Feedback is biased and personal
- You don't follow your own policies and procedures- Staff accommodations host 12 people per room
Shall I continue??????????
Getting the small, boring stuff right is what truly matters—but you already know this because your employees are constantly complaining about those small things. You also know it because you discipline staff for minor issues, like being five minutes late, even though they’ve gone above and beyond for the company.
This is exactly how employees view HR interventions too. You can roll out the best programs, the latest tools, and a cutting-edge EVP, but if you’re failing at the basics, that’s all they’ll notice.
HR is busy talking about AI while struggling to make sense of the data from those poor engagement surveys. AI will flood you with even more data—but do you have the capacity to interpret, analyze, and act on it in a meaningful way? We can barely manage the results from an annual survey—imagine if AI fed you insights daily.
I’m not against AI or data. In fact, I think we need more of it. But I also understand HR’s current capacity—and the wishful thinking that a shiny new tool will magically solve all workplace issues. No tool, survey, or algorithm will fix a broken workplace. Humans do. The basics do. Once you get the basics right, you can move on to the exciting stuff. Success is built on doing the boring foundational work. Without it, you’re just trying to put a roof on a building that doesn’t exist.
So, how do you fix this? Start with structure. Take the time to map out every touchpoint where employees interact with your organization—people, systems, and processes. These are the areas that need your attention. Yes, you can bring in AI, but first, you’ll need to set clear standards for how these interactions should be conducted. Measure these areas, analyze the data, and use it to continuously improve.
For instance, if you want candidates to have a consistent experience globally, you need to establish standards for your recruitment process. That means no ghosting, structured interviews, and a commitment to getting back to candidates within a specific timeframe. Without these standards, you end up with what we have today: recruitment processes that look like they were designed during happy hour.
Candidates show up not knowing who to meet. They’re asked the same questions at every stage. Interviewers are either arrogant or clueless about the role they’re hiring for. And the cherry on top? You expect candidates to go through endless interviews without even knowing the salary.
Think about it—would you shop for a house without knowing the price? Or walk into a store where prices aren’t displayed and only find out at the cashier? You wouldn’t tolerate that. So why are you doing it to your candidates?
Put the salary in the job ad. It helps candidates self-select, saves you from drowning in irrelevant CVs, and spares you from wasting time. It’s basic, straightforward, and fair—and once you nail the basics, you can focus on improving the bigger picture.
Get the basics right first then dream about AI’s predictive analytics! You cannot skip first grade.
If you need help in building your structure let us know.
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