With remote and hybrid setups becoming the new norm and CEOs placing a premium on employee productivity, AI and machine learning can help businesses unlock their employees’ full potential. However, it is essential to implement AI tools thoughtfully to avoid hurting productivity and growth.
Imagine a workplace where AI identifies high-performers, employees at risk of leaving and emerging leaders. AI can help visualize productivity trends and collaboration across departments, enabling companies to address employee needs directly and make better-informed decisions that drive success.
Here are four steps to incorporating AI to support employees and managers:
1. Visualize employee engagement
The first step is understanding how employees show up. What does the workday look like for a high vs. low performer? Do top performers show trends or patterns that can be replicated across the organization? Are there training gaps in adopting new tools or processes?
Data intelligence solutions help visualize these metrics, enabling organizations to align company objectives with employee goals. This not only impacts performance but also mitigates risks like disengagement and burnout before they escalate.
2. Incorporate AI in work tasks
Evaluating what and how business tools are being used can help streamline processes and determine ROI. For AI specifically, a recent Prodoscore study across 10 organizations representing various industries and 40 unique roles revealed a significant disparity in usage. More than 14% of employees in the study currently use AI in some capacity to accomplish their work by using tools like Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI or Google Gemini at least once, while half of them used AI more than five times.
There remains a considerable gap between those who utilize AI and those who don’t, but early adopters are paving the way to enhanced work performance, improved efficiency and ultimately greater productivity.
3. Utilize tools to boost productivity
Prodoscore’s data reveals that the productivity boost from AI usage transcends various sectors and roles.
In fact, employees who use AI tools are up to 21% more productive than non-users and work almost 90 minutes more per day. Moreover, on days when employees use these tools, they are 4% more productive.
4. Balance automation with Insight and ethics
While the benefits of AI tools are clear, establishing guidelines for their ethical use is paramount. Leaders must develop and communicate comprehensive organization-wide policies that outline best practices and responsible usage. The most strategic approach to fully leveraging the potential of AI is striking a balance between automation and personalization while prioritizing data security. In practice, this could mean ensuring that:
- AI is not blindly relied upon to complete every task
- Best practices learned from early adopters are socialized across the organization
- Clear guidelines for inputting prompts and feeding models are shared to ensure high levels of data security
The Prodoscore study identified three distinct population groups relating to their usage over the course of the study (approx. a 6-month time frame):
- Toe-dippers: spent an average of 1 minute and 2 seconds on one-time usage
- Foot-waders: accessed tools 2-4 times, spending about 2 minutes, 36 seconds each time
- Swimmers: engaged with AI tools 5 or more times, averaging 5 minutes, 53 seconds per use
While heavy AI users are likely to maintain a higher level of utilization, it’s too early to know whether light adopters will increase usage, maintain the same level or drop off completely. What is clear is that AI is a complementary tool, not a replacement.
The future of work with AI
The beauty of utilizing AI-powered solutions lies in adaptability. As business needs evolve, organizations can modify their AI strategies for optimal outcomes. Predictive analytics offer valuable insights into performance trends, enabling proactive decision-making to achieve revenue targets and support employee development. By monitoring key indicators and leveraging AI-generated insights, leaders can make informed adjustments that drive positive business outcomes.
AI and machine learning are undoubtedly transforming the workplace by empowering employees to reach their full potential, regardless of where and when they work. By embracing AI strategically, organizations can unlock new levels of productivity, innovation and success.