Human resource experts have warned organisations against allowing artificial intelligence and digital workplace systems to reduce employees to mere data points, urging businesses to put people at the centre of technology-driven transformation.
The experts made the call at the latest edition of HumanManager Limited’s Corporate Catalyst Conversation, held virtually recently, under the theme, “Work Well. Live Well: How Smart HR Systems Create Healthier, More Productive Workplaces.”
The discussion focused on the growing adoption of digital HR systems and AI-powered tools, with speakers stressing that technology should improve the quality of work and employee experience rather than become an instrument for excessive monitoring and control.
Speaking at the event, Mariam Gbajumo-Sheriff, lecturer in the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), challenged organisations to look beyond conventional employee wellness programmes and examine the conditions under which their people work.
Gbajumo-Sheriff questioned whether organisations were genuinely measuring productivity or merely tracking employee activity, while also asking whether workforce data was being deployed to identify burnout, disengagement and other workplace challenges before they escalate.
She said technology could provide valuable insights from data generated across HR functions, including attendance, leave, payroll, performance management, recruitment and training.
However, she stressed that organisations must ensure that the deployment of such technology is guided by fairness, responsibility and a clear understanding of its impact on employees.
According to her, the objective should be to create workplaces where employees can meet organisational expectations without compromising their wellbeing.
The goal, she said, should be to enable people to “work well without sacrificing the ability to live well.”
The conversation also examined the role of communication, storytelling and organisational culture in shaping employee experience.
Bemigho Awala, chief storytelling officer, Storywoxs54, warned that workplace systems could become overly focused on management and control if organisations failed to maintain sight of the people those systems were created to serve.
“We need to bring back the humans in Human Relations,” Awala said, arguing that the way organisations communicate and tell their stories can significantly influence how employees experience the workplace.
He added that storytelling was not merely a communications function but could affect both employee engagement and organisational growth.
“The world is made of stories, and how we tell the stories matters to the employee as well as the growth of the organisation,” he said.
From the HR technology perspective, Temitope Obidike, lead product manager, HumanManager, said people must remain central to the design and implementation of workplace experiences.
She maintained that digital transformation should continue to address organisational objectives while also meeting the needs of employees.
“People should be at the centre of your decisions – your technology, the solutions, the customer experience, and all,” Obidike said.
She also highlighted the relationship between technology, employee experience and employer brand, noting that employer branding extends beyond how an organisation is perceived externally to encompass the culture and everyday experiences it creates for its workforce.
Obidike pointed to HumanManager’s expanding capabilities, including its competency management offering, as part of the broader evolution of HR technology.
She noted that HR systems were increasingly moving beyond the traditional role of maintaining employee records and handling administrative processes towards helping organisations understand, develop and deploy their people more effectively.
The speakers consequently agreed that the value of smart HR technology should not be assessed simply by the number of processes an organisation can digitise.
Rather, they argued, the measure of success should be how effectively technology enables employees to perform sustainably while helping organisations achieve their strategic objectives.
Moderating the conversation, Tosin Areo of the Brands & Marketing team at SystemSpecs, explored issues surrounding workplace wellbeing, productivity, employee experience, HR technology, communication, culture and the human implications of increasingly digital workplaces.
In his closing remarks, Jerry Adeyeri, brand & marketing lead, HumanManager Limited, said healthier and more productive workplaces could not be created through technology or HR interventions in isolation.
“It requires the right people, culture, leadership, communication and systems working together,” he said.
The Corporate Catalyst Conversation forms part of HumanManager’s efforts to facilitate discussions around the changing nature of work and the role of technology in creating better workplace experiences.
With organisations increasingly adopting digital HR platforms and AI-powered workplace tools, the discussion underscored a central challenge for employers: ensuring that technology remains a means of improving work and employee experience, rather than becoming an end in itself.
