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Diving overview:
- Artificial intelligence may A “lack of connection” occurs in the workplace.According to a recent study by HR enterprise platform Workday, 33% of employees say they have “little or no” conversations with co-workers each week beyond basic task-related conversations.
- The report found that less than half of respondents (46%) said it was “easy or somewhat easy” to form friendships at work, and 14% said they had taken time off in the past year because they felt lonely or socially isolated. However, 16% of employees say AI has made them less patient with small talk.
- Last year, 76% of respondents said they used AI tools for advice, 52% used AI for brainstorming, and 37% used AI for workplace friendships, and found the technology less judgmental and more accessible than their colleagues. Workday calls these AI interactions “socially frictionless.”
Dive Insight:
While AI may be draining everyday interpersonal interactions, the report also found that the technology may be helping to reduce and improve burnout for some workers. Employee trust is at a record low.
Workday’s Human Connection Workplace Index aggregated responses from 2,150 workers who are actively using AI, and 62% say technology has reduced their stress levels and risk of burnout. Additionally, 86% said they felt more productive and 64% said they felt more confident about their future success.
“We’re seeing AI have a hugely positive impact on workplace productivity, with employees across the globe and in every industry telling us clearly that they feel less burnt out than they did before they started using AI tools,” Carrie Baroquière, Workday’s chief impact officer, said in a statement. “But our index warns that as we route more questions, ideas, and even conflicts through AI, we risk losing the everyday human interactions that build trust, resilience, and a sense of connection.”
The report found that there is a wide generational divide when it comes to the societal risks of AI. According to the report, Gen Z was 12 times more likely than Gen X to say they felt “completely disconnected from their peers.” Additionally, Gen Z is twice as likely as Millennials and eight times as likely as Gen X to say they feel lonely at work.
Notably, Workday found that 43% of employees say “reduced human interaction” is their biggest concern when implementing AI technology in the workplace, rather than potential job losses.
Workday added that leaders need to consider social connections as an important part of an organization’s infrastructure. The report recommends “intentionally designing how people collaborate, give feedback, and receive coaching,” and also suggests that managers monitor how AI impacts trust and cross-functional collaboration. Additionally, leaders must ensure that AI complements, rather than replaces, important conversations in the workplace.
Some leaders may not be ready to deal with this issue. Increasing mental health issues AI is bringing cause to the workplace. This year’s HR Identity Survey by HR Dive found that 55% of HR professionals say mental health and wellness in the workplace will become an increasingly important factor in the next three to five years.
The use of AI is also creating a skills shortage, with 39% of all workers and 46% of Gen Z reporting that their dependence on AI tools has reduced their skills or even make them less intelligentaccording to a recent study by IT company GoTo. Despite this, 60% of all employees said they felt they had to continue using AI to improve productivity, according to the same report.
