Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Days after Google cut 12000 jobs, hundreds of former employees flocked to an online chat room to express their dissatisfaction with the cold way they were suddenly laid off, while exchanging views on how management decided to lay off staff. Someone posted a question: is there a well-designed "mindless algorithm" that does not violate any law? who should be laid off?

Tu Yuan Pexels Google said that its layoff decision "does not involve any algorithm." But as more and more AI tools are used in the workplace, the suspicions of Google employees who have been laid off seem unreasonable. Today, many human resource managers use machine learning software to analyze millions of employment-related data points to come up with advice on who can attend an interview, receive an offer, be promoted or should be retained.

But as Silicon Valley's fortunes shift, these AI tools may help with the more daunting task of determining who will be laid off, according to human resources analysts and labor experts.

In January, a survey of 300 human resources executives at US companies found that 98 per cent thought software and algorithms would help them make layoff decisions this year. With a large number of layoffs in the company, it is difficult for humans alone to accomplish such a complicated task. Since the beginning of the year, layoffs at big American companies have quietly reached five figures.

From tech giants to household goods companies, big companies often use AI software to find the "right people" for "the right projects", says Joseph Fuller, a professor at Harvard Business School. These products help create a "skill list", a powerful database of employees that can help managers determine what kind of work experience, certificates and skills match different positions. In the same way, these tools can also help lay off staff.

Brian Westfall, a senior human resources analyst at Capterra, a software review site, said that since the 2008 recession, human resources departments have become "more and more dependent on data." Turning to algorithms may help managers calm their guilt when making tough decisions such as layoffs, he adds.

Many companies are using software that analyzes employee performance data. In the Capterra survey, 70 per cent of human resources managers said performance was the most important factor in assessing layoffs. Westfall also said other indicators for layoffs may be less clear. For example, human resources algorithms can calculate which factors cause someone to have a "job-hopping risk" and are more likely to leave the company.

Westfall claims that AI's intervention has also caused a lot of problems. For example, if there is discrimination in a company, the percentage of employees of color leaving may be higher. But if the algorithm does not have similar training and does not understand the situation, it may think that non-white employees have a higher "escape risk" and recommend laying off more people of color. "to some extent, you can see the snowball effect. You don't know how the data is created or how it is affected, and these factors suddenly lead to bad decisions." Westfall said.

Jeff Schwartz (Jeff Schwartz), vice president of Gloat, a human resources software company that uses AI tools, said Gloat's customers are not using the company's software to create layoff lists. But he acknowledges that human resources executives must be transparent about how they make such decisions, including how widely algorithms are used. "this is a learning moment for us and we need to unravel the secrets of the black box," he said. "We need to understand which algorithms are working in which ways, and we need to figure out how people and algorithms work together."

Labour experts say reliance on software has sparked a debate about what role algorithms should play in layoffs and the extent to which employers should disclose the reasons behind layoffs. "the risk is to use the wrong data and make decisions based on what the algorithm says, and then blindly follow it," Westfall said. "

But Zack Bombatch, a labour and employment lawyer and member of Disrupt HR, an organisation that tracks progress in the human resources sector, says human resources organizations have been overwhelmed since the outbreak and will continue to use software to help reduce their workload.

In view of this, companies should not let the algorithm give a separate list when making layoff decisions, but need humans to review their recommendations to ensure that they are not biased against people of color, women or older employees, all of which can lead to litigation. "Don't try to put all the blame on the software," Bombach warns. "

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