01/31/2024

Embrace the “AI Anxiety” of Your Employees

Alleviate employees' AI anxiety via clear communication, re-skilling programs

Since Generative AI took the world by storm, GenAI has become a common topic in employee all-hands, one-on-one meetings, conferences and symposiums. It is omnipresent now. The promises and hallucinations of GenAI have progressed to the point where employees now question their relevance, job security, and future growth possibilities. 

As AI automates some jobs completely and many leaders are eager to adopt AI to run their businesses more effectively, the effect on employment is visible already. According to an EY research report, a staggering 75 percent of employees are concerned AI will make specific jobs obsolete — and more so, about two-thirds (65 percent) say they are anxious about AI replacing their jobs. All this noise around AI leads to two specific questions in the minds of the confused employees: what happens to my job now, and how do I prepare for this new technology so that I am future-ready?

AI anxiety in employees will cause unforeseen consequences for companies

If leaders don't answer these questions correctly, employees will migrate to places where they feel their jobs are safe or supported, otherwise known as attrition. According to a new survey by UKG, over half (54 percent) of employees have no idea how their companies are using AI, while 78 percent of C-suite leaders say their company is using AI today. With this kind of misinformation or misunderstanding, employees will start to prepare for the perceived changes independently, and the distraction will show up in their current work outputs or productivity loss.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SmartBrief.