Course Description:
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how work gets done, and HR is at the center of that transformation. From talent decisions and workforce planning to employee experience and compensation, HR and Rewards professionals are increasingly expected to understand, evaluate, and responsibly use AI. Otherwise, they risk falling behind as automation, data-driven insights, and AI-powered tools become standard across organizations.
AI Foundations for HR is a hands-on, non-technical course designed specifically for HR and Rewards professionals who want to build confidence and practical skills with AI. You’ll learn how AI works, where it adds real value across HR and Rewards workflows, and how to use it safely, ethically, and effectively.
Throughout this six-week course, you’ll move beyond theory to application, creating prompts, experimenting with real use cases, and building a custom AI assistant tailored to your role. You’ll leave with the ability to immediately apply AI to everyday tasks like compensation analysis, employee communications, reporting, and strategic planning, while positioning yourself as a forward-thinking leader in an AI-enabled workplace.
Who Should Take This Course:
- Compensation analysts and managers
- Benefits administrators and specialists
- CHRO/HR leaders overseeing rewards functions
- HR professionals who want to understand AI's impact on their work
Policies
View our Return/Cancellation policies and more here.
Based in India? Contact india@worldatwork.org for India-special course pricing.
Course Format
Format: Virtual Classroom
Duration: 6 hours; 1 hour per week
Structure: Six 60-minute hands-on sessions + self-paced exercises
Week 1: AI Foundations
Duration: 60 minutes
Build foundational understanding of AI, generative AI, and large language models. Understand how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot work, where they add value in HR and Rewards HR and Rewards workflows, and how to use them safely and responsibly.
What You Will Learn:
- See how AI capabilities (automation, generation, analysis, prediction) apply to Rewards work
- Understand how Large Language Models (LLMs) work in non-technical terms
- Learn what data you should never share with AI tools and how to protect employee privacy
- Identify where AI adds value vs. where human judgment remains essential
- Recognize AI bias
- Establish personal AI usage guidelines aligned with your organization's policies
Week 2: How to Talk AI: Writing Better Prompts
Duration: 60 minutes
Learn how to write clear, effective prompts and get more consistent results from AI tools. Master the frameworks and techniques that turn vague requests into structured prompts that produce useful outputs.
What You Will Learn:
- Master the anatomy of an effective prompt: role, context, task, tone, format, and constraints
- Learn prompt patterns and templates specifically designed for Total Rewards work
- Practice writing prompts for compensation analysis, benefits communications, and strategic planning
- Understand how to chain prompts together for complex multi-step tasks
- Build your personal prompt library for recurring work tasks
Week 3: AI in Your Role - Practical Applications
Duration: 60 minutes
Identify high-impact, low-effort ways to use AI in your daily work. Explore practical AI applications across all facets of HR including compensation analysis, benefits administration, employee communications, and strategic planning.
What You Will Learn:
- See how AI can accelerate data analysis, research, content creation, and strategic planning
- Identify role-specific applications for compensation analysts, benefits professionals, and TR leaders
- Learn when NOT to use AI (final decisions, performance ratings, legal compliance)
- Map 5-10 quick-win use cases you can implement immediately
Week 4: Build Your Own AI Assistant
Duration: 60 minutes
In this hands-on workshop, build a personalized AI assistant that acts as a thought partner, coach, and decision-support tool tailored specifically to your role and work style. You'll leave this session with a working AI coach you can use immediately.
What You Will Learn:
- Build a personalized AI assistant tailored to your HR or Total Rewards role during the live session
- Master the core principles of system instructions: role, context, tasks, and criteria
- Add organizational knowledge like compensation philosophies and company policies
- Test and refine your assistant to improve reliability and output quality
Week 5: Evaluations Training - Improving Custom Assistants
Duration: 60 minutes
Learn how to test AI outputs, incorporate feedback, and increase reliability over time. Build quality control processes for AI-assisted HR & Rewards work.
What You Will Learn:
- Understand why AI outputs vary and how to improve consistency
- Implement a 3-step evaluation process: baseline testing, structured feedback, iterative improvement
- Create quality control checklists for compensation analysis and communications
- Build evaluation rubrics with clear criteria for accuracy, relevance, tone, and format
Week 6: Leading AI Adoption & Future-Proofing Your Career
Duration: 60 minutes
Build business cases for AI adoption, lead AI initiatives within your team and organization, and create your personal roadmap for an AI-augmented HR and Rewards career.
What You Will Learn:
- Build compelling business cases that quantify AI's cost savings and efficiency gains
- Learn communication strategies to address 'Will AI replace me?' concerns
- Develop 90-day adoption roadmaps with clear milestones
- Understand how AI is reshaping HR
- Create your personal 6-month AI learning plan
Program Credits
Upon completing the program, attendees receive the following professional development credits:
WorldatWork Recertification:
- 6 general credits
CEUs:
- 0.6 credits
HRCI:
- 6 credits
SHRM Recertification:
- 6 credits
Meet the experienced and engaging speakers, who make even complex information interesting and easily digestible.
Please consider a different learning method or contact our Customer Experience Team to learn about other classes and schedules. Click here to check our global course schedule for availability. Click here to check our global course schedule for availability.
Phone
877-951-9191 (United States and Canada)
+1 480-951-9191 (other countries)
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST
Email
Email our Customer Experience Team: customerexperience@worldatwork.org
