Happier hiring: how Copilot can help you win the war for talent

Millions of words have been written about how AI adoption is changing the workplace, as well as the industries that have moved fastest to implement the technology. But businesses aren’t the only winners in this revolution: expectation is also high among employees.

In fact, there’s evidence to suggest that making AI universally available across your workforce is essential to recruiting and retaining top talent. In this article, we’ll examine the opportunities for your organisation to outstrip your rivals in recruitment when you put AI platforms like Microsoft 365 Copilot at the forefront of everything you do.

Do more to meet employees’ AI expectations

Employees aren’t behind the curve when it comes to understanding how AI tools will affect their careers. According to LinkedIn research among business leaders, 65% of UK professionals believe sharpening their AI skills will help them to get promoted faster. A further 76% say they’re excited to use the technology as part of their role.

But this enthusiasm is yet to be matched by opportunities to use AI in their workflow. In the study cited above, fewer than half (44%) of UK businesses say they are helping their workforce to become AI literate. It’s no great leap to assume that many of these organisations have been slow to adopt AI assistance; tools that can pick up mundane tasks and make employees more productive, completing higher-value work.

Access to technology, along with opportunities for continuous professional development – such as keeping on top of AI skills to improve performance – are key requirements for today’s workforce. But business leaders are not combining these two factors as much as they should. Microsoft and LinkedIn’s annual Work Trend Index discovered that just 39% of employees globally have received AI training, even if they have access to the technology.

AI skills are a key driver of recruitment

Offering the use of AI assistants as standard within your organisation can make a big difference to your talent recruitment and retention rates.

But AI skills are also becoming a prerequisite in the job application process. According to the Microsoft/ LinkedIn report two in three (66%) business leaders would not hire someone who didn’t demonstrate AI skills at the interview stage.

Moreover, 71% of senior managers even admit they would prefer to hire a less experienced candidate with AI competency than someone who had a longer career history but couldn’t use AI.

So, it seems that AI-based technology and the skills that drive it are in demand among employees and employers alike. But what are some of the specific ways that Microsoft Copilot can help your company to recruit and retain the best talent?

Recruitment efficiency on the rise with AI

We’ve seen that a focus on technology and associated skills increasingly pulls candidates towards organisations.

For recruitment teams too, there are clear advantages to bringing Copilot into the process, from cutting overall cost per hire to streamlining the onboarding process:

•   Build efficiency – Improve the accuracy of job descriptions and capture key points from candidate interviews quickly and easily.
•   Sidestep bias – AI can be pressed into action to help remove troublesome unconscious bias from recruitment strategies.
•   Improve comms – Candidates receive the feedback and updates they deserve, through the channels that suit them.

Reduce employee turnover with Microsoft Copilot

Copilot is able to help all employees enjoy greater job satisfaction. Fitting seamlessly into the daily workflow, the tool offers key benefits that make many tasks faster and more fulfilling; adding to the sense of achievement that is a key driver of individuals remaining in their role:

•   Improving processes – Aiding focus during work meetings; neatly summarising discussions and actions arising; providing clearly defined job descriptions;
•   Boosting collaboration – Using Copilot in Loop to get started with brainstorming and content drafting is a perfect way to drive teamwork and productivity
•   Inspiring insights – Organisations rise or fall on the strength of workforce sentiment. Using Copilot as your ear to the ground, designing and distributing surveys, can provide vital insights and requirements which your business can act on to improve employee relations and retention. 

What’s more, your new starter simply has more information at their fingertips. Copilot can act as a personal assistant while they settle in and get under the hood of the organisation they’ve joined: scraping company websites and intranets, SharePoint and so on. This will boost their knowledge and stop them feeling overwhelmed, especially at larger enterprises.

Not too long ago it would have been hard to imagine AI tools affecting the hunt for talent, or creating more reasons for an employee to stay and flourish at a business. Today, though, Copilot can help to rally your recruitment team to attract and secure shining stars; while also helping employees get off to a flying start, and aim to reach their full potential.

Starting small with Copilot is always an option. It might make sense to pilot the tech among key employees before widening access. This handy guide can help you get started.

If you’re still unsure about the cost of Copilot implementation, and whether ROI is boosted as a result, we’re happy to discuss why it’s an investment that pays back over time thanks to increased efficiency and productivity associated with streamlining workloads; taking care of mundane and time-consuming tasks. This article discusses the long-term value of Copilot further.

To learn more about how BCN can help make Copilot a key part of your recruitment and retention strategies – differentiating your business in a crowded marketplace – contact us today.