In a world where technology is evolving at speed, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a practical tool already reshaping how organisations listen to their people.
In our recent webinar, WorkBuzz CTO Lewis North and Agenda Principal Consultant Tim Walters explored how AI is being used to enhance employee listening and the wider HR function, within the not-for-profit sector.
The Pulse of the Room: Comfort and Concerns
The session kicked off with two polls. The first asked attendees how comfortable they felt using AI to analyse employee feedback.
Responses were mixed, with the majority (33%) of HR professionals from non-profit organisations in attendance feeling “somewhat comfortable” with using AI to analyse employee feedback. 21% expressed discomfort with using AI for this purpose.
A second poll revealed that charity HR professionals’ top concerns around AI in employee listening were accuracy of insights and data privacy and ethics. These concerns are valid—and were addressed throughout the session.
Understanding AI: A Quick Tour
Lewis provided a whistle-stop tour of the three main types of AI:
- Machine Learning: Already widely used in areas like medical imaging and HR analytics, machine learning helps identify patterns and predict outcomes—such as staff turnover or engagement trends.
- Generative AI: Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot fall into this category. These pre-trained models can generate text, images, and even video. They can also provide insight and coaching opportunities. While powerful, they raise important questions about data privacy and ethical use.
- Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Still theoretical, AGI refers to AI that surpasses human knowledge, can learn and apply knowledge across domains—something we’re not quite ready for, but it’s on the horizon.
AI in Action: From Insight to Impact
The heart of the webinar focused on how AI is already being used to support employee listening. Tim introduced People Science AI, an innovative tool developed by WorkBuzz.
Claire (People Science AI) is an AI-powered assistant that delivers executive summaries of survey results—globally and at team level—within days of survey closure.
Claire helps managers quickly identify key insights and areas for action following an employee or volunteer survey.
This AI tool aims to solve what Tim described as the “double-sided problem”: HR teams are stretched thin, and managers often lack the time or expertise to interpret feedback data. AI bridges this gap by making insights accessible, actionable, and timely.
Using AI Thoughtfully and Securely
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of transparency and security. It’s crucial that HR’s use of AI considers data security, but also that staff and volunteers trust the measures put in place. Without trust, you may risk reducing survey response rates.
Lewis emphasised that fostering psychological safety starts with ensuring true anonymity and clearly communicating how both human and AI-driven analyses will be conducted. This transparency will help to maintain trust and sustain high survey response rates.
Your people should know what data is collected, how algorithms process it, and the safeguards in place to prevent bias or misuse.
AI can be a powerful tool for employee listening. Natural language processing (NLP) can uncover themes in thousands of open-text comments, detect emerging sentiment trends, and even flag potential cultural issues before they escalate.
But this capability comes with responsibility. Organizations must ensure that accessing AI insights does not compromise privacy or create a perception of surveillance.
Utilising AI tools provided by trusted suppliers where confidentiality and data security is baked into the tool is a safe way to benefit from the power of AI without compromising on security. An important consideration in the safe use of AI is about the data you supply not being used to train models, and not crossing borders – particularly for EU based organisations that are subject to GDPR.
AI should complement, not replace, human judgment.
While algorithms can efficiently surface patterns, managers and HR leaders must still engage with the results, ask follow-up questions, and involve teams in interpreting the findings.
This shared sensemaking builds trust and helps employees feel heard, rather than “analysed.”
When applied thoughtfully, AI doesn’t just make employee listening more scalable—it makes it more meaningful. Giving managers access to secure, well-designed dashboards, while inviting employees to discuss the insights in open forums, creates a virtuous cycle of trust.
Over time, this approach encourages more honest feedback, better decision-making, and a healthier organizational culture.
The Road Ahead: Skills, Strategy, and Storytelling
As AI becomes more embedded in our daily work, the need for digital upskilling is urgent—especially within non-profit organisations, where limited resources often widen the digital skills gap. Lewis highlighted that free resources like OpenAI’s Academy and Corsive.io can be invaluable starting points, helping mission-driven teams bridge this gap and harness AI to amplify their impact.
The webinar closed with a call to action: embrace AI thoughtfully, invest in the right skills, and use these tools to create more inclusive, responsive, and effective organisations.
If you’re thinking about how you can utilise AI in your employee listening or would like to see our People Science AI in action, get in touch to speak with an expert.
