AI Assistants, Interview Feedback & Chronoworking
5 in 5 - Brave & Heart HeartBeat #189 ❤️
This week we’re bringing you a work special, because as the longest month of the year finally ends, February brings us into 2024 for real (and we all FINALLY got paid again) – so how will we be working this year?
From reasons why AI might not take your job, to the luxury version of assistants and why won’t employers give you interview feedback?
Plus, we’ll be teaching you how to apologize at work, and introducing you to yet ANOTHER work buzzword for 2024. Yawn.
Let’s get into it.
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#1 - Why AI Might Not Take Your Job
And it’s not necessarily because it can’t do it better than you…
Even for jobs that could theoretically be done by AI rather than real people, replacing human workers doesn’t actually always make economic sense. Apparently, according to research published last week by MIT and funded by the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, AI adoption may be a lot slower than we think, simply due to the cost.
Jobs that can be handled by a visual recognition system, for example quality checks in a bakery, can be done by AI, but starting up those systems can be more expensive than just hiring an actual person.
Due to the high upfront costs of using AI – which still relies on expensive chips and convoluted data rack set-ups – it’s often cheaper to hire human employees in the short to medium term.
This research has been music to the ears of many employees worried by announcements about AI taking all our jobs. While the International Mystery Monetary Fund recently estimated that almost 40% of jobs worldwide have the potential to be at least partially automated, MIT have discovered that just because they can in theory, doesn’t mean businesses can actually afford to put that into practise.
However, they did warn that if (and when?) AI becomes cheaper and more available to smaller companies, we may be in trouble…
#2 - Human Vs. AI Assistants
Can an AI assistant really do what a human assistant can?
Like bespoke tailoring or home-made food, human assistants, once the norm, may become the luxury option in the wake of AI powered technology that claims to do what a personal assistant can, but cheaper, and without that pesky actual person to employ and deal with.
Sounds like the dream, you sack your assistant, but your flights still get booked, meetings scheduled and they even send replies on your behalf as if they were a real functioning gatekeeper.
But what happens when you need to add a touch of emotion? Or you need the AI to know your partner doesn’t like roses on the second Tuesday of each month, but the rest of the year is fine? How can you gesture to the AI to say you’re not in for the auditors calling but are in for the golf match scheduling.
It’s no secret if you can write a programme to describe it exactly, you can get AI to do it, but nuance and emotion are still a challenge for LLM’s.
Mansoor Soomro, a senior lecturer in sustainability and international business at Teesside University, UK agrees, explaining "AI can't be intelligent in terms of emotion, and that's the toughest nut to crack". He says the sensitivity and nuance essential to human assistants is still missing, as is the creativity many executives look for.
We hear you brother, but it seems assistants are already in on the act – using many “AI’ish” available tools themselves to streamline their executives lives such as Calendly, as well as test driving AI LLM’s to see if it will help them further.
Joanne Manville, a UK-based assistant and founder of Joanne Manville Virtual Assistance offers remote assistant services to a wide range of businesses and explains; "We regularly use automation tools to facilitate client productivity, and support clients who want to test tools like ChatGPT for their businesses."
Seems the jury’s out. Or at the very least thinking about it.
#3 – How Did I Do? Why Employers Won’t Give You Interview Feedback
You have applied, researched, set your heart on a role, had the interview and, for some reason or another, not got through the process.
When you ask what that reason is you either get a generic answer, or no answer at all.
Given the sweat and tears that some people give to securing a role you would think it was the least they could do so you could do better next time. Right?
Wrong.
Alison Hunter takes us through the experiences she has had navigating the modern workforce and the lack of feedback received. Seems she is not alone.
Reasons (or excuses?) given range from fear of upsetting a candidate, wary of negative feedback, especially on GlassDoor, or just plain busy.
Some of this we get – if 1000 people apply for one roles it’s tough to give everyone feedback. But if two people interview, giving feedback to the one that you didn’t choose, well that’s just good manners.
We always talk to clients about transparency and treating people how you would like to be treated yourself – and as far as we are concerned, this is no different.
#4 - How To Apologise at Work
How hard can it be to say one simple word, I’m sorry. Fess up, explain all, and never do it again.
Pretty tough it seems. Fear reigns. Fear of looking incompetent or fear of just plain losing your job.
Done right though you can turn around a bad situation and make it work to your advantage.
Noël Wolf, linguistic and cultural expert at Banbel, takes us through some of the reasons why and how to do it more effectively. From the best timing to sincerity, he takes us through the A to Z of being a more effective apologiser.
Of course, the challenge can be your business environment. Harbouring a culture where people cannot make mistakes, learn from them and improve, can stifle both growth and creativity.
So next time you reach for the apology handbook, have a muse on why you need to do so in the first place and if the company you work for matches your own personal values.
#5 - What Is Chronoworking?
Yup, because that’s what we needed from 2024 – another buzzword created by a consultant by smashing two words together to make themselves famous. So, what is this one?
Well, let’s start by saying Brave & Heart has been “asynchronous working” from day 1, it’s part of our culture and how we work. So now we have a name for it!
Asynchronous quite simply it means working when is best for you, but also being available to work when it’s best for everyone else.
So, breaking away from the 9-5, being trusted to get the work done in your own time and collaborating with the team, communicating availability and progress.
Chronoworking, though, takes this one step further to sync your working to your body clock, your highs and lows and your own personal productivity rhythm.
Yup, really.
The article talks about all the challenges you can envisage having people working so far out of synch that collaborative projects are all but impossible.
It also talks about the benefits though of how working in this way taps into the natural highs and lows of an employee to get the best out of them.
Our thoughts? Ask us at 2am, because that’s when our brains are at full speed to give you a sensible answer…
Brave & Heart over and out.
Bonus
What Do We Do With Our Apple Vision Pro?
Yes, it’s real – it wasn’t an April Fools and they launched it after all. Of course, we are talking about the Apple Vision Pro in all its “but what on earth will I do with it glory”.
The mags and influencers have them now, the reviews are out and are mainly, meh.
From confusion to admiration to everything in between, it seems Apples hardware tech demo has confused everyone.
To find out more on how you can retain your top talent, or how we can help you with digital solutions to your business and marketing challenges, check out our case studies.