The use of AI has become fully integrated into many areas of our lives in the last 12 months, with people now using it for everything from planning holidays and writing letters to crafting wedding speeches.
However, the widest use we’ve seen for it has been in the workplace. Whatever the sector, employees are finding ways of using generative AI software, such as ChatGPT or Microsoft 360 CoPilot for writing tasks, ideation or research, helping to make their jobs easier and to make workers more productive.
In the last year, as employers and organisations have begun understanding how AI technology can support their teams, we’ve seen exactly how AI is transforming employee behaviour and practices in the workplace. Using AI for a range of tasks frees them up to engage in creative and strategic work, fostering both personal fulfilment and workplace innovation.
A recent study* ‘surveyed more than 1,100 workers across the UK who handle data as part of their job and confirmed that exactly half of them now use AI at work.
The employees we questioned worked across 12 different sectors and we asked them to share what impact they think AI has had on their work, their wellbeing and the amount of time they spend on their work.
A staggering 93% of them said the impact of using AI technology at work had been positive. Around 82% of them said AI has helped them produce better work, and almost 60% believe it has reduced their workload stress. These are staggering stats really considering it’s been a relatively short time since AI technology has become a useful tool for employees and widely adopted by businesses.
Improving work-life balance and diversity
AI technology can be helpful in completing routine tasks much quicker and potentially to a higher standard, enabling teams to focus on more creative and rewarding work while also enjoying a better work-life balance and improved job satisfaction. AI can take away the burden of mundane admin tasks for employees. It can speed up data collection or research, draft bulk emails or summarise large reports or documents.
And as workplaces begin to experiment with the best uses of AI for their organisations, they will also realise the potential it can bring.
There’s growing evidence that AI could improve equality and diversity in the workplace by reducing bias during the recruitment process, supporting different learning styles, or providing hyper-targeted training programmes for employees from under-represented groups to progress in their careers.
As Caroline Fanning, Chief Employee Success Officer at The Access Group, points out, from a strategic HR or recruitment point of view, AI can help match people with the right skills to a job opportunity without interference of human bias. This is turn has a real positive impact on diversity hiring practices. She added:
“AI tools empower people in their learning, help them process large amounts of information and manage their time easily. That makes AI particularly useful for our neurodiverse employees, including those with dyslexia, dyscalculia (difficulty understanding numbers) and ADHD.
“However, employers must ensure that nobody feels left behind by AI – and training is key. At The Access Group, our goal is to ensure that all our people are AI literate and benefit from the technology’s capabilities. This extends to our customers as well.”
Positive impact on employees
One of the biggest findings from the research was that 93% of workers, whatever their sector, believe that using AI has had a positive impact on their working life. Nearly a third of respondents (32%) said AI technology gave them more freedom to focus on what’s important to their job, while 29% said it enhances customer service.
This shows that, if used correctly, the positives of using AI can far outweigh the negatives. It’s not about looking at it as replacing workers, but how it can help them instead, while also improving their end results. For example, employees who are now spending less time on admin can give more of their time to building relationships with customers and improving the service they offer.
Some other important stats from our research include:
- More than half of participants (55%) said AI saves them time.
- 42% of workers believe AI saves their organisation money and another 42% say it helps employees be more productive.
- Employees in tech (74%) and HR/Recruitment (68%) are leading the way in the adoption of AI tools at work.
- 45% of UK workers said using AI helped them with repetitive tasks and 35% said it helped to manage their workload.
One of the most interesting findings from our study was that many employees are using AI in secret. More than a third (35%) admitted they were using it to get ahead of their colleagues and not telling their boss about it. This was largely prevalent among younger workers aged 18-29 who said they have done this ‘many times’ for completing tasks at work to stand out from their colleagues.
Biggest worries around AI
We found that however enthused employees were about AI, there are some concerns, not just around job replacement, but also of illegitimate use and data security.
For all the benefits of generative AI, there are still many unknowns for organisations, particularly around copyright and data security and whether people really have the skills and confidence to use it. Senior leaders need to strike a balance between enabling employees to get the most from technology and mitigating security risks.
The biggest worry about data security came from IT professionals (51%), no doubt because they understand the potential risks of the technology, closely followed by workers in health and social care (50.8%) and HR and recruitment (50.4%).
While there are early adopters of new technology in every organisation, it can take some employees longer to feel comfortable with using AI and feel assured that the data and confidential information they’re dealing with is safe and secure.
When it comes to confidence with AI, almost a quarter of respondents to our survey scored their confidence level at five out of 10 or less. However, the majority are in the middle with a score of six to seven, so there is room for targeted training to upskill and build confidence among employees when it comes to using AI for their work. There is also scope for business leaders and decision makers to ensure they are investing in the best available technology to help them achieve their goals.
Stand out from the crowd
The buzz around AI is not going to disappear in 2025 and organisations already using the technology will have a considerable advantage over their competitors that aren’t.
As employees continue to embrace AI into their daily workflows, it’s vital their employers match their expectations by investing in tools that are both intuitive and make a genuine difference to their working lives. They need to play their part in providing training and resources to upskill and build confidence in the workforce, as well as demystifying what AI is and what it can do.
This is why AI is so transformative. It enhances workflows, improves efficiency, and reduces the fear of falling behind in an ever-evolving tech landscape.
AI is not just reshaping how we work, it’s redefining what we can achieve, and in using the right tech, organisations can really harness its power to reduce employee stress, boost productivity and allow teams to focus on high-value, purpose-driven activities. It’s an exciting time for realising the potential of AI and the impact it can really have on the workforce.
*Research carried out by The Access Group
The Powerful impact of AI on workplace behavior
