Over 75% of HR Leaders Will Use AI in the Next Year, According to New Paychex Research

Paychex, a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services, released the results of its seventh Pulse of HR Report. The annual survey, which aims to understand the current and future state of the HR landscape, found that more than 75% of HR leaders at companies with 20-plus employees, and just over half (51%) at companies with 5-19 employees, plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the next 12 months. Respondents at larger companies (20-plus employees) expect they’ll use AI mostly for applicant tracking purposes (30%), followed by assessing employee satisfaction (29%).

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The survey of U.S.-based business and HR leaders at companies with five or more employees found that investments in HR technology are expected to help increase employee productivity and improve the employee experience.

“We believe it’s a great time for employers to get back to basics, but with a modern approach,” said Jeff Williams, vice president of enterprise and HR solutions at Paychex. “Ground employees in the vision of their company and in the purpose of their work; fund benefits and retirement options that allow workers to feel secure and be present; cultivate and develop talent so they want to stay and thrive; and build leadership routines, operating systems, and human connections that meet people where they are today.”

The research revealed that the following employee issues are big challenges for leaders at companies with 20-plus employees:

• Employee burnout (32%)
• Quiet quitting (27%)
• Full-time employees working a full-time second job (25%)
• Boomerang employees (23%)
• Polywork (23%)
• Employees moonlighting with a second part-time job (20%)

Businesses with 20-plus employees plan to offer benefits that support employees’ overall well-being in the next 12 months, such as Employee Assistance Programs (30%), a shorter work week (28%), and childcare cost assistance (28%). They also shared that their top priorities throughout the rest of the year are improvements to customer service (80%), efficiency (78%), and employee engagement or retention (78%).

In further detail, the report also discusses:

How HR leaders plan to engage with emerging tech:

• Top HR technology priorities for businesses with 20-plus employees included increasing employee productivity (43%), improving employee experiences (42%), promoting training and skill-building (39%), and supporting employee retention (38%) or engagement (37%).

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How businesses plan to improve workers’ experiences:

• Eighty percent of leaders at companies with 20-plus employees and 65% of those with 5-19 employees already have or plan to implement new employee pay methods for increased wage access, such as pay-on-demand, paycards, or shorter payroll cycles within the next 12 months to help meet employee needs.
• Almost half (47%) of businesses with 20-plus employees currently allow staff to work on a hybrid basis, and productivity (50%), well-being (44%), and retention (43%) are top motivators for these policies.

Other challenges associated with today’s labor market:

• Top recruitment tactics can vary by the targeted generation, with larger businesses (20-plus employees) using training as the top tactic to attract Gen Z workers (ages 18-26), while communicating the company mission is used to appeal to Millennials (ages 27 to 42), Gen X (ages 43 to 58), and Baby Boomers (ages 59 to 77).
• The role of HR in the workplace is changing, with many leaders in the space saying they plan to focus on strategy and communication while utilizing technology to enhance productivity. Still, the majority of businesses manage most HR tasks in-house either manually or with an application.

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