Why do HR teams need around-the-clock support?
What HR tasks are best suited for AI automation?
How can AI improve employee relations without losing the human touch?
What are the biggest benefits of always-on HR support?
How do AI tools like Kinfolk and AllVoices handle data security?
How should HR teams get started with AI adoption?

Why do HR teams need around-the-clock support?

Employee needs do not stop at 5 PM. Questions about benefits, payroll, or policies can arise late at night, on weekends, or during moments of stress when traditional HR teams are offline.

Jeet Mukerji, co-founder of Kinfolk, explained the expectation gap clearly:

“Employees expect consumer-grade support experiences at work. If they can get an answer from their bank app at 2 AM, they don’t understand why HR has to wait until Monday morning.”
— Jeet Mukerji, Co-founder of Kinfolk

The need for immediacy is not just about convenience. It is about trust. When employees cannot get timely answers, confidence in HR starts to erode.

Pressure points driving demand for always-on support

Global teams working across multiple time zones
Burnout among HR teams handling repetitive questions
Employees expecting workplace support to mirror consumer apps
Sensitive concerns that cannot wait until office hours

HR teams cannot realistically staff a 24-hour help desk. AI is stepping in to bridge the gap.

What HR tasks are best suited for AI automation?

Not every HR task can or should be automated. But many of the most common employee questions are perfect candidates for AI.

Jeet noted that Kinfolk focuses on areas where accuracy and speed matter, but where empathy is not the primary requirement.

“AI shines when it’s answering the tenth version of the same benefits question. That frees up HR professionals to spend their time on issues that truly require human judgment.”
— Jeet Mukerji

Repetitive tasks AI can handle well

Benefits questions about health coverage, FSA deadlines, or parental leave
Payroll inquiries such as pay dates, tax forms, or time-off balances
Policy clarifications around vacation accruals or remote work rules
Technical support like navigating portals or resetting passwords

Claire Schmidt of AllVoices shared how the same principle drives their AI assistant Vera:

“We use AI to draft investigation summaries and case reports, which used to take hours of manual effort. It’s about reclaiming time so HR can focus on higher-value conversations.”
— Claire Schmidt, Founder of AllVoices

The goal is not replacement. It is to take administrative load off HR’s shoulders so they can focus on work that requires empathy, judgment, and leadership.

How can AI improve employee relations without losing the human touch?

Employee relations is one of the most sensitive areas in HR. The fear is that AI might depersonalize these conversations. Jeet pushed back on that concern.

“AI should never replace a human in employee relations. But it can be an ally, helping capture, organize, and surface information so HR professionals can intervene faster and with more context.”
— Jeet Mukerji

How AI supports employee relations without replacing HR

Guiding employees through case intake in clear, simple language
Summarizing lengthy reports into structured formats HR can act on
Linking related cases to reveal patterns or systemic issues
Surfacing how similar issues were handled in the past

Claire highlighted how this already works in practice:

“AI can’t replace the human responsibility of caring for people. But it can take a twenty-hour investigation report and draft it in minutes, letting HR leaders focus on fairness and resolution.”
— Claire Schmidt

The human element remains central. AI provides structure, context, and speed. HR provides care and accountability.

What are the biggest benefits of always-on HR support?

The true impact of AI-enabled support is not just efficiency but accessibility. Employees who know they can get answers whenever they need them are more likely to feel supported and engaged.

Jeet described it as a cultural signal:

“Always-on support sends a signal that the company cares. Employees know they can get help on their terms, not just during office hours.”
— Jeet Mukerji

Benefits employees and HR both experience

Employees in different time zones or with flexible schedules feel equally supported
HR reduces burnout by offloading repetitive questions
Consistency improves as AI provides standardized responses
Every interaction generates data that HR can use to refine policies and processes

These benefits build on each other. Employees gain trust in HR. HR gains more bandwidth. Leadership gains clearer visibility into trends and issues.

How do AI tools like Kinfolk and AllVoices handle data security?

Employee data is some of the most sensitive information a company holds. That means security and privacy cannot be an afterthought when AI enters the picture.

Jeet emphasized the importance of building trust into the design of AI tools:

“Trust is everything. If employees don’t believe their data is safe, they won’t use the system. That’s why encryption, access controls, and clear governance aren’t optional — they’re table stakes.”
— Jeet Mukerji

Security best practices for AI in HR

Encrypting employee data both at rest and in transit
Role-based access controls to limit sensitive data to authorized HR staff
Audit trails to log who accessed what information and when
Anonymous reporting channels so employees can raise issues safely

Claire connected this directly to AllVoices’ mission:

“Anonymous reporting is foundational for psychological safety. Employees need to know they can surface issues without fear, and AI should strengthen, not weaken, that trust.”
— Claire Schmidt

Without strong privacy protections, even the best AI systems will fail to gain adoption.

How should HR teams get started with AI adoption?

The hardest part of any AI journey is the first step. Many HR leaders feel daunted by the scope of change, but Jeet encouraged teams to strip it back to basics.

“Start small. Pick one use case where AI can save real time without introducing risk. Prove the value, build confidence, and expand from there.”
— Jeet Mukerji

Instead of designing a five-year transformation plan, HR leaders should treat adoption as a series of small experiments. Each win becomes a building block for the next stage.

A phased approach that builds momentum

Identify the most time-consuming or repetitive task
Pilot AI in that single area with clear communication to employees
Track both quantitative impact (hours saved, resolution rates) and qualitative impact (employee feedback)
Refine the workflow based on what employees actually need
Expand to other processes once the first pilot has proven successful

Claire underscored that progress matters more than perfection:

“You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Start where the need is clear, build a track record, and let adoption grow organically.”
— Claire Schmidt

AI adoption is not a one-time project. It is a mindset shift toward experimentation, iteration, and learning. The reward is not just efficiency, but an HR function that feels modern, accessible, and trusted.

Final word: AI support is about trust, not replacement

The session with Jeet Mukerji and Claire Schmidt made one theme undeniable: AI in HR is not about replacing people. It is about ensuring support is always available, building confidence in HR, and freeing humans to do what only humans can do.

Jeet put it succinctly:

“The benchmark isn’t whether AI handles every question perfectly. It’s whether employees feel supported, no matter when they need help.”
— Jeet Mukerji

Claire left the audience with a reminder of HR’s enduring role:

“AI should handle the repetitive work. HR’s role is to stay human, to lead with care, fairness, and empathy.”
— Claire Schmidt

That balance of technology and humanity is what defines the future of HR support. AI brings speed and consistency. HR brings trust and compassion. Together, they create a system that never sleeps and always serves.