There are reports that Matt Turnbull, an executive with Xbox, suggested in a post on Linkedin that AI would be helpful to those laid off, helping them sort out next steps etc. Here is one such story:
I feel bad for Matt, who like everyone else had good intentions with his post. As I understand it he was pointing toward using Chat GPT for resume help among other things. That is legit. As you might expect there is a very big “but” coming.
In my time as a CHRO I used to counsel managers on the hazards of speech during any kind of lay off situation. “This is as hard for me as it is for you.” was one such classic to avoid. You’d be surprised how many awkward managers will fill dead air with such statements when sharing bad news. I witnessed it many times. Now we have the advent of AI and a new opportunity to “step in it”. Aye yay yay.
Someone needed to tell Matt to just stuff a sock in it. You just can’t add value in certain situations and the only thing called for is quiet empathy.
That said, Matt did have a point. Those going through an unexpected job change should take full advantage of any tools out there that can help refine resumes and online profiles that recruiters will be checking out.
There is a larger issue here, as Matt has plenty of company in the “AI can and will do everything for us” camp. Certain CEO’s continue to predict that many jobs will go away due to the advent of this new technology. I remain skeptical at the speed of such change, but allowing for it to be true, I’d assert that certain things can not be outsourced to AI.
Being human should remain in our hands and control. Connecting with and just being there for someone who has lost their job is the role for a human being. I don’t think Matt meant to say otherwise, but there are tendencies in communication out there among the tech elite that indicate that they may indeed feel that way. The captains of the addictive and destructive apps we use for social media have proven in the past that they lack understanding of the outcomes they create.
This is a great opportunity for HR Executives to speak up and insist on drawing a line in areas where bots, apps and AI will not be employed. Start with the sensitive moments of any career lifecycle and insist they be done in person, with humans: Interviews. Good news such as promotions and raises. Big project completions and announcements. And yes, layoffs and terminations which we hear more and more are being done via email. There is zero dignity in that choice, neither for the sender nor the receiver.
There is a spectrum of human reactions to news of being laid off, from the casual “Thanks I wanted to leave anyway” from a low commitment employee, all the way to “You have ruined my life.” from a highly invested loyal employee. Let a human always be involved in determining the right response to any of them.
Thanks for reading!
