What if HR could offer employee support 24 hours a day ? With the rapid advancements in AI, HR teams are finally turning that dream into reality, providing around-the-clock assistance and immediate responses employees increasingly expect.
In our recent webinar, AI as a 24-hour Employee Support System, we teamed up with Jeet Mukerji, CEO of Kinfolk, to discuss how HR professionals are leveraging AI tools to deliver always-on employee support. At a time when AI is reshaping industries at an incredible pace, it's crucial for HR teams not to be left behind. After all, HR is inherently people-facing, and missing out on AI-driven efficiency could mean falling short in delivering the best possible employee experience.
In this blog, we'll explore exactly how AI can take on many of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks HR teams face every day, freeing them up to focus more on what they do best: genuinely connecting with and supporting employees.
Where HR teams are spending most of their time
HR teams often enter their roles passionate about people, culture, and shaping positive workplace experiences.
Yet, manyHR professionals find themselves spending a significant portion of their day on administrative tasks. In fact, studies indicate that HR leaders spend an average of 40% to 60% of their time on compliance and administrative duties. That’s almost half their day spent on activities that, while necessary, can drain their energy and morale.
"HR spends a lot of time on reactive work—picking up the pieces of something that's broken after it's broken." – Claire Schmidt
As Claire Schmidt, founder of AllVoices, pointed out, HR teams often feel stuck dealing with problems after they happen, constantly playing catch-up instead of getting ahead. When HR spends so much time managing these tasks, they lose the chance to build stronger teams, support employee wellbeing, and help shape a healthier company culture.
How AI can free HR from administrative overload
This is where AI can make a huge difference. AI tools, like the HR assistant from Kinfolk, can quickly handle routine tasks — answering simple questions, organizing messy case notes, or even speeding up processes like payroll, onboarding, or benefits enrollment.
"39% of an HR person's salary and time goes towards manual, repetitive admin." – Jeet Mukerji, CEO of Kinfolk
AI isn’t just about automation it’s about enabling people teams to focus on what matters. During the webinar, Jeet Mukerji of Kinfolk highlighted the real value of AI: handling repetitive tasks so HR professionals can focus elsewhere.
AI easily manages:
- Answering FAQs instantly
- Managing onboarding/offboarding processes
- Organizing unstructured case information
- Routing and prioritizing employee inquiries
For more use-cases, check out the ebook that we just worked on with some of the pioneers in the AI for HR space:
Instead of replacing people, AI gives HR teams their time back. It allows them to spend less time on repetitive paperwork and more time supporting employees, resolving important issues, and working on meaningful projects that improve the entire workplace.
HR tasks AI should NOT replace
When you first think of AI for HR, you might picture a chatbot handling all your employee interactions. But HR involves much more than routine questions or administrative tasks—it’s a people-first role built on trust, empathy, and genuine connections. Some conversations are simply too sensitive, complex, and nuanced to delegate to AI.
Discussions about employee mental health, performance concerns, career coaching, or conflict resolution require careful handling. These conversations aren't just about exchanging information; they're about understanding human emotions, providing support, and navigating tricky interpersonal dynamics.
Claire Schmidt, founder of AllVoices, addressed this head-on, saying clearly during our discussion:
"I don't think I could ever advocate for AI leading an interview about a sensitive topic." – Claire Schmidt, Founder of AllVoices
She highlights an important point—while AI is fantastic at structuring information, organizing notes, or automating workflows, it cannot truly understand the emotional weight of certain situations. AI doesn't read body language, can't pick up subtle changes in tone, and can't demonstrate authentic empathy or emotional intelligence. Those uniquely human skills, critical to building trust with employees, must remain at the heart of HR.
But AI can still support with these tasks
Just because AI shouldn't replace these crucial interactions doesn't mean it can't play a supporting role. AI can still add tremendous value by streamlining processes before or after sensitive meetings. It can provide HR professionals with instant summaries, relevant company policies, or detailed historical records that prepare them thoroughly for sensitive conversations.
In other words, AI acts like your behind-the-scenes support—organizing data, identifying patterns, or drafting follow-up documentation—while you handle the critical human aspects of the conversation directly.
Benefits of always-on HR support
Employees today expect quick answers and immediate assistance—just like they receive from apps and services outside of work. But traditional HR departments struggle to deliver around-the-clock support due to limited resources and capacity. This gap in accessibility can lead to frustrated employees who feel unsupported precisely when they need help most.
In fact, a survey showed that 81% of employees feel frustrated when they can't access immediate HR support. That’s a significant number, signaling a clear need for always-on HR services.
In our conversation, Jeet Mukerji of Kinfolk explained how AI uniquely solves this accessibility challenge:
"AI can serve 2,200 employees at once, across multiple time zones, providing immediate answers at any hour."
Think of the impact employees can instantly resolve policy questions, benefits inquiries, or leave requests, no matter when they come up. AI scales effortlessly, giving your people instant access to reliable support at all hours, creating an overall better employee experience.
If you'd like to hear more benefits, check out the full webinar, here:
How this empowers HR teams
Beyond convenience, always-on AI support provides HR teams valuable insights into employee needs. By tracking common inquiries, AI identifies trends and common concerns, empowering HR leaders to proactively address these issues, adjust processes, and improve overall employee engagement.
Additionally, immediate AI responses free HR from routine tasks and basic inquiries. This lets them focus on deeper, more meaningful employee support like personalized development initiatives, culture-building activities, or strategic workforce planning.
Getting started with AI in HR
Integrating AI into your HR processes might sound intimidating at first—especially if your team isn't deeply familiar with technology. But adopting AI doesn't mean radically changing everything overnight. In fact, gradual implementation is often the best approach.
Jeet Mukerji provided clear guidance for HR teams starting out with AI:
"Identify quick wins and low-hanging fruits. Pilot programs and iterate from there." – Jeet Mukerji, CEO of Kinfolk
Start by finding tasks that drain your team’s energy—repetitive inquiries, data entry, or manual document management—and test AI on these specific problems first. Running small pilot projects allows your team to learn how AI operates, make improvements based on real feedback, and become comfortable with new workflows before scaling broadly.
Practical steps to get going
Here are just a couple of things to take in consideration:
- Choose small-scale pilot projects: Identify specific, repetitive HR tasks (like answering FAQs or onboarding new hires) to test AI tools.
- Communicate transparently with employees: Clearly explain the purpose of AI tools, emphasizing their supportive role and reassuring your team they're not replacements for human interactions.
- Measure and iterate: Establish metrics for success (such as time savings, accuracy, and employee satisfaction) and use data to fine-tune your approach over time.
By taking a thoughtful, gradual approach, your HR team can successfully incorporate AI, improve efficiency, and maintain strong human connections.
Check out our next webinar:
Address data security concerns
One major concern that often emerges when discussing AI in HR is data security. HR teams handle incredibly sensitive information—personal employee details, performance evaluations, salary data, and confidential feedback. Understandably, HR professionals worry about AI tools compromising that confidentiality.
Responsible AI providers recognize this need and prioritize strong security measures such as data encryption, strict access control, and compliance with rigorous data privacy regulations like GDPR. These safeguards ensure sensitive information stays confidential and secure.
When selecting an AI vendor, ask pointed questions about their data protection protocols. Look for providers with clearly defined privacy policies, strong encryption standards, regular security audits, and transparency about how they manage sensitive information.
Partnering with a vendor that values security as much as your team does builds trust, ensuring employees feel safe interacting with AI-driven HR tools.
AI as an ally, not a replacement
AI is here not to replace HR professionals but to amplify their impact. By automating tedious and repetitive administrative tasks, AI frees HR teams to focus on meaningful, high-value work that directly supports and engages employees.
With AI, HR professionals gain more time for strategic initiatives like building company culture, supporting career growth, and strengthening employee wellbeing. It’s not just about working faster—it's about working smarter and providing more thoughtful support to your teams.
When HR teams embrace AI as a partner rather than a threat, everyone benefits—HR feels more fulfilled and effective, and employees experience a more responsive and supportive workplace.
Ready to learn more? Watch the full webinar AI as a 24-hour Employee Support System, or visit Kinfolk and AllVoices to discover how AI can revolutionize your HR practices.
