{"id":53523,"date":"2024-09-03T08:21:26","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T12:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=53523"},"modified":"2024-09-03T08:21:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T12:21:26","slug":"can-ai-be-the-key-to-workplace-satisfaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/can-ai-be-the-key-to-workplace-satisfaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Can AI Be The Key To Workplace Satisfaction?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this segment of \u201cOffice Optional with Larry English<\/a>,\u201d Larry explores how artificial intelligence can bolster employee satisfaction.<\/h2>\n
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Modern employees are struggling. A Deloitte report<\/a> found that most people consider work a negative part of their lives. Burnout is high<\/a>, in part because too many emails, meetings and other tedious tasks (read: the boring parts of work) are eating up the workday, leaving little room for the parts of work people actually enjoy.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s been plenty of chatter about AI helping employees accomplish more in their day, the technology could serve a higher purpose: To help employees enjoy work more by finding better work-life balance and more meaning and satisfaction in their jobs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, employee satisfaction has business benefits as well. Employees who feel positively about their work are more engaged, more creative, more effective, and less likely to switch jobs. Employees benefit, the organizational culture benefits and the company overall does better work. It\u2019s a win for everyone.<\/p>\n

AI and Workplace Satisfaction<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a TikTok floating around that says, \u201cI want AI to do my dishes so I can do my art and writing.\u201d While AI isn\u2019t going to do our household chores anytime soon, the technology can be used to offload some of the tedious parts of work \u2014 the work laundry, if you will \u2014 helping employees to focus on more interesting tasks and find greater satisfaction in work.<\/p>\n

Early research supports this idea. One study<\/a> found a positive correlation between high AI adoption and levels of employee effectiveness and joy.<\/strong> Additionally, a Slack study<\/a> found that workers who\u2019ve used AI score higher for employee experience, work-life balance, sense of belonging and the ability to manage stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n

AI can lessen the \u201cwork laundry\u201d in a few practical ways. For instance, generative AI\u2019s ability to handle routine tasks like data entry or report generation frees up employees to focus on more meaningful and engaging work.<\/p>\n

Using a generative AI assistant such as Microsoft Copilot<\/a>, executives can avoid meetings that don\u2019t require their direct input; instead, they can quickly review the summaries Copilot produces of those meetings, staying informed without wasting a ton of time.<\/p>\n

But the benefits of AI extend beyond just productivity or efficiency. AI-powered automation<\/a> can help employees manage their time more effectively, reducing overtime and stress. Generative AI tools can allow employees to disengage in the evening without fear of falling behind or missing out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering whether the \u201cwork laundry\u201d is that big of a deal, the answer is \u201cyes.\u201d Decreasing the time employees spend on things like email and meetings can make a real difference in how they feel about their jobs. A study cited in the Harvard Business Review<\/a> found that when employees spend more than four hours per week on tasks they don\u2019t enjoy, they tend to start thinking about getting hired elsewhere.<\/p>\n

How To Deploy AI To Increase Workplace Satisfaction<\/h2>\n

All the benefits of AI for employee satisfaction in work come with a major caveat: The technology must be implemented thoughtfully to ensure it makes the employee experience better, not harder. Simply turning on an AI tool won\u2019t do your employees any favors. Leaders need a game plan that includes the following elements:<\/p>\n

A clear understanding of the employee problems AI will solve.<\/h3>\n

How will AI help make employees\u2019 jobs easier? How will it free them from drudgery to focus on more exciting, meaningful work? What specific problems are you hoping the technology will solve for employees?<\/p>\n

Use these questions to craft detailed user personas and AI use cases to get at the heart of why the AI tool<\/a> is necessary and what real employee problems it will help solve. This exercise will help you consider more than how AI can help make your people more efficient and productive, unlocking the technology\u2019s ability to improve the employee experience.<\/p>\n

A training plan to encourage adoption.<\/h3>\n

Handing over access to an AI tool doesn\u2019t mean employees will use it. In addition to poor adoption rates, a lack of training can mean employees who do use the tool may not use it correctly, leading to poor output and more work.<\/p>\n

To ensure high adoption and that employees get the intended benefit from AI<\/a>, you need a mature change management approach that aligns people and technology to work toward focused goals.<\/strong> Employees need to understand what\u2019s in it for them. They need support as they build new habits around incorporating AI use into their daily workflows and processes. And they need competence in prompt engineering to get quality output from an AI tool that will accelerate, not hinder, their productivity.<\/p>\n

A thoughtful plan to integrate AI into your organization.<\/h3>\n

Anytime you change how work is done in an organization, you also need to understand how your organizational culture might also shift. AI is no different \u2014 deployed carelessly, it could degrade some of the human-centric parts of your culture<\/a>. Say you\u2019re planning a piece of content or brainstorming a new business offering. Sure, you could use AI to help come up with some new angles \u2014 and you absolutely should explore what AI has to offer here. But it\u2019s also beneficial both from a brainstorming and a culture perspective to still hold that brainstorming session with colleagues. Otherwise, you miss the human connection and the conversational tangents that can lead to fresh insights.<\/p>\n

In other words, leaders must ensure AI use is purposeful and doesn\u2019t lead to a lack of personalization in team interactions.<\/strong> You don\u2019t want the technology to slowly erode your culture, thereby leading to rising levels of employee isolation and disengagement.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to communicate to employees that just because an AI tool can make them more productive doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll be required to squeeze even more work into their day. Rather, they should be empowered to think through how the technology can level up their workday, freeing them up to focus on more meaningful, exciting work.<\/p>\n

Leaders who focus solely on AI\u2019s productivity benefits are missing out on an opportunity to improve the employee experience \u2014 helping workers find more satisfaction and meaning in their jobs. By thoughtfully implementing AI<\/a> and empowering employees to integrate AI tools into their daily workflows, leaders can improve employees\u2019 well-being, leading to healthier, happier, more engaged teams.<\/p>\n

This blog was originally published on Forbes.com.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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