ChatGPT and the HR professional: experimental evidence on productivity gains in HR tasks

Purpose As HR practitioners balance strategic responsibilities with administrative work in daily practice, understanding the role of generative AI (GenAI) in supporting their work becomes critical. This study examines how GenAI, specifically ChatGPT, affects productivity in completing HR tasks, namely routine, junior-level, written deliverables that support HR service delivery. We treat ChatGPT primarily as a support tool for HR tasks and examine whether different ways of using it, raw adoption or iterative editing, are associated with different productivity outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A randomized controlled experiment was conducted with 91 final-year business students, simulating routine, junior-level HR tasks across three functional domains: (1) internal communication and employer branding, (2) recruitment, and (3) selection. Participants were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Productivity was assessed using three measures: effectiveness (expert-rated deliverable quality), completion time and efficiency (quality per unit of time). A delayed-treatment design enabled within- and between-group comparisons. Tasks were validated by HR practitioners, who also assessed outputs on written expression, content quality and originality as indicators of effectiveness. Findings In this experimental setting, ChatGPT utilization was associated with significant productivity improvements: +35.8% in effectiveness, −53.9% in completion time and +391.7% in efficiency, operationalized as expert-rated quality per unit of completion time. No significant differences were observed between usage patterns, suggesting that, in this experimental setting, basic use of GenAI was associated with important gains in HR tasks completion. Delayed access to the tool resulted in high efficiency increases, a pattern we discuss in relation to contrast effects and initial task engagement without tool support. Practical implications This study provides actionable insights for HR practitioners on integrating GenAI into operational workflows to enhance output in everyday HR work, where written deliverables are produced under time pressure, amidst ongoing interactions with line managers and employees and in a fragmented manner. Originality/value The study offers empirical evidence on the effects of GenAI tools in Human Resource Management practice, extending prior research through a controlled experimental design. By focusing on daily tasks rather than strategic activities, it deepens understanding of GenAI’s role in an overlooked yet important HR work domain currently undergoing transformation.