Artificial Intelligence Policies in Company Handbooks
Some companies choose to fully outsource all their Human Resources to Flex HR, while other organizations hire us on the interim to bridge the gap until they find the right HR leadership. Business owners know that Human Resources are the most valuable asset, so handling them properly is vital to your company. It’s important to document major factors about your organization such as mission and values, policies and procedures and even software and internet rules and regulations.
Mary Ann Haskins, HR Consultant with Flex HR talked with Lee Canter of Business Radio X, Atlanta Business Radio about the significance of work policies and artificial intelligence (AI).
Artificial Intelligence is top of mind within companies when it relates to work policies. HR professionals need to be ready for these unknowns and how to get ahead of them. Mary Ann explains how “everything in the world of AI is changing fast.” She goes on to explain that employers have not taken the time to think about what the risks and effects of using AI in the workforce can be. For example, “folks that are working for you using something like a Chat GPT to write a report. So really, they didn’t create the work, and you may have violated some copyright rules or something. So, you need to have policies in place for things like this to mitigate the risk. There are different options you can take with how you approach those policies.”
In most cases, AI concerns transpire when reviewing a handbook. Mary Ann admits “there are laws being put into place every time you turn around related to AI. The world of AI is ever evolving and when it comes to policies, most of the policies take one of three approaches.”
- Allow use of AI in the workplace, outlining strict guidelines
- Limit AI use, such as it’s okay to use a Chatbot to help draft a letter/email, but not to create content for website
- Prohibit it completely at work
There is still a lot of risk associated with fluently using AI in the workplace. AI policies should have a strong statement in their employee handbook that there is no privacy when using company WIFI and equipment, because they have an obligation to the organization to protect it. Data security and protection guidelines need to be carefully considered.
Polices and procedures need to be culture centric due to how this affects the view of the organization as a whole. Organizations need to continuously review and update their Handbooks to keep current with changing laws and HR trends. This living document needs to be created specifically for your company to which your supervisors should be trained on the handbook, so they know how to interact with their employees in good times and bad. A employee handbook should provide clear guidelines that employees should know, in clear and simple terms, and should be available online for workers to pull up at any point in time. Handbooks should also be compliant for each state. Set a reminder once a year to re-read your Handbook to ensure the same rules and policies should continue to be followed.
Our Flex HR experts work with your company to update your employee handbook language for the age of artificial intelligence, based on the outlook of your specific company. We can also consult on using AI software to help with productivity for your employees. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today at info@FlexHR.com.