Mature workers may need a mindshift

Mature workers can alleviate stress and even reverse decisions to displace them by actively engaging in the AI journey of their organisation. Individuals owe it to themselves to own their career and know their purpose. A job title is a label, not a person’s purpose, therefore mature workers need to make every effort to understand and amplify the value they bring to their organisation. Here are some other points to consider:

Enjoy AI – appreciate the benefits of innovative technology.
Embrace change – stay relevant with a growth mindset and challenge yourself. Do not be a passive participant in an AI training session.
Be resilient – don’t be afraid of learning new things.
Ask for help – everyone needs help to progress.
Be flexible – accommodate change in your schedule to work with others.
Collaborate willingly – openly welcome ideas from younger workers.
Keep it simple – you only need to grasp the basic concepts of AI to make a big leap forward.
Be inquisitive – explore different AI tools outside the workplace e.g. image Apps.
Understand risks – adopt AI solutions in a safe way to protect yourself.
Escalate – report any erroneous information or suspicious data immediately.

Organisations displacing employees for AI

There is no guarantee that current roles will not be impacted by the introduction of AI. Organisations have to be true to their mission and ensure that legal and fiduciary obligations to key stakeholders and clients are fulfilled as required. This means managing the workforce in a proactive way. Periodic Skills Audits are a great way to determine how the workforce is reacting to the changing needs of customers and the wider marketplace. This should be part of the annual performance appraisal process. At a departmental level, Managers should be implementing Task Audits to understand the time and effort required to complete a process. This usually highlights where tasks are being duplicated, are redundant because of system changes or changing client needs, are taking too much time to complete because of inadequate training or lack of resources.  Doing this as part of the ongoing talent management practice will enable an organisation to assess and understand the impact AI will have on the workforce very quickly. To retain a competitive and purposeful advantage, both charitable and for-profit organisations must manage the impact of AI on the workforce upfront and not as an add-on at the end of project implementation.