Has the conversation around HR tech always been so negative? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that every second headline I read about tech today is just doom and gloom.
The excitement around HR tech has often been drowned out by fears around automation and workforce disruption. “Will AI replace recruiters?” “Will algorithms make hiring decisions for us?” “Will technology remove the human element from people management?”
Every week there seems to be a new headline warning employees about AI bias in recruitment, employee surveillance, skills shortages, return-to-office tensions or the impact of automation on jobs.
All valid concerns, to a degree. And worth addressing if they become a serious threat to our society and wellbeing. But with so many worst case scenarios constantly being hurled at us by news sites (and brands) to ramp up clicks and engagement, I’m calling it for what it really is: catastrophising for the sake of clickbait.
Why does pessimism sell?
Unsurprisingly, there’s a reason why many headlines we see today dwell on the negative.
To start, humans have what is known as a ‘negativity bias’. Our brains actually have an innate tendency to react more intensely to negative stimuli (in this case, news stories) and dwell on them for longer, too. How delightful!
And with the world becoming increasingly digital, and more people now accessing their news online instead of in magazines and newspapers, publishers are leaning into this in a bid to cash in.
A recent study, which looked at over 100,000 news headline variations, found that those with negative terms achieved more clicks, while positive terms actually decreased the level of engagement. A separate study in the US sheds further light on this. It found that the volume of news headlines conveying negative sentiment (anger, fear, sadness) has risen significantly between 2000 and 2019.
Our love/hate history with tech
It’s clear that the negativity economy is booming. But why is HR technology so often caught up in it?
Well, there’s a long history of people having phobias of new tech. The arrival of the radio sparked a lot of fears when it was first invented and broadcasting was introduced, in the 1920s. Much of the discourse at the time followed similar patterns to what we see in today in the press surrounding new tech. “What about the children?! What if they spend all of their time listening to the radio, and then they forget how to read and write?!”
When telephones were introduced, people feared that they would be used to contact the deceased, or people in the afterlife. And “computerphobia” became extremely common when personal computers hit the scene, with people developing a serious paranoia around how much computers knew about them, or whether they would eventually outsmart them and take over the world.
While the tech itself has changed, the narrative remains remarkably similar. New workplace technologies have consistently been met with concerns about how they will affect employees, productivity, and jobs. When Applicant Tracking Systems became commonplace, some feared they would replace recruiters altogether while the rise of remote working technology prompted endless debates about productivity and collaboration outside of the office.
Fast forward to today, and many of the concerns surrounding AI in HR follow the same pattern. Will it replace human judgement? Will it remove the personal touch from the employee experience? Will it make the workplace fairer or less fair?
Starting to sound familiar?
An appetite for HR tech optimism
HR tech and bad news clearly have a long history of working side-by-side. And many storytellers in this space are only ever happy when it’s raining (a Garbage reference, for those that didn’t catch it…)
But lately, I’ve noticed a growing appetite for something a little more balanced. For every headline warning that AI is coming for our jobs, there seems to be another story about how it is helping employers remove repetitive admin, improve employee experiences, and give HR teams more time to focus on their people. For every prediction that remote working will destroy workplace culture, there are countless examples of organisations using tech to build more flexible and inclusive ways of working.
And according to recent research, a large proportion of people are starting to avoid the news altogether, for fear that bad news or constant ‘doomscrolling’ will negatively impact their mood. We’re witnessing a tipping point in the way tech is portrayed in the mainstream, and it may be time to switch gears. After all, if we want people to embrace innovation, constantly telling them to fear it might not be the best place to start.
Advice for brands and marketers
Marketers can play an important role in bringing this tech optimism back, and making the conversation around workplace technology a little more balanced.
As someone who works predominantly with clients in the HR technology space, it can be tempting to lead with the negative when sending out a press release, or writing a blog post, in order to catch the readers’ eye.
However, it’s important to understand the goal and how you want your brand to come across in the long run. If clicks and website traffic is the number one priority, then scaremongering tactics and clickbait may offer a temporary fix, or some quick wins. If long-term brand building and establishing trust with your audience is more important (and it should be!), then consider leading with the challenge, and not the threat.
At Skout, we’re lucky to work with organisations tackling some of the biggest issues facing employers today, from skills shortages and employee wellbeing through to workplace culture, recruitment, and AI adoption. It would be easy for us to live entirely in the negative, churning out story after aftory about burnout and the fear of jobs being replaced by technology. But would that make HR leaders feel motivated and confident about solving those challenges? Or would it simply add to the noise and leave them feeling overwhelmed?
There are real workplace challenges that organisations need to address, and it’s by no means going to be sunshine and rainbows all the time. But by framing those challenges as opportunities, rather than our impending downfall, and championing tech as our way forward, we not only create a better space to educate audiences about the solutions available. We also help make the conversation around the future of work that little bit brighter. And frankly, I think we could all do with a bit more of that.
Learn more about how Skout can help you through a crisis by getting in touch with us.
