A leading work management platform, unveiled insights from its Work Innovation Lab.
This data, based on a survey of 2,741 UK employees, demonstrates the UK workforce’s openness to AI integration in business operations.
However, there is a pressing demand for companies to enhance transparency regarding their AI strategies.
AI’s Role in Achieving Corporate Objectives
A notable 49 percent of surveyed employees expressed confidence in AI’s capacity to assist their companies in reaching their objectives more effectively than traditional methods. Additionally, 48 percent anticipate their companies will employ AI for goal-setting, though merely 5 percent stated that their organisations currently use AI for this purpose.
Workplace Burnout
Approximately four in 10 UK employees indicated that their organisations are currently grappling with a high rate of burnout. To combat this, 92 percent of employees desire to leverage AI to improve certain aspects of their jobs.
AI Approval Across Job Levels
UK employees at all levels show support for AI implementation in various areas, including development and training (61%), decision-making processes (32%), customer service interactions (50%), and hiring processes (26%).
Desire for AI Transparency
Only around 30 percent of employees believe they have clear insights into their organisation’s AI plans, indicating a transparency gap. This perception differs from that of executives, with 39 percent of them asserting that they have been transparent about their AI strategies.
AI and Career Planning
The top three factors influencing career decisions regarding AI are transparency (56%), adopting a human-centered AI approach (44%), and offering AI training (40%).
Rebecca Hinds, Head of the Work Innovation Lab at Asana, emphasised the importance of adopting a human approach to AI. She highlighted the need for change management, upskilling, and reskilling to make AI successful in the workplace.
Also, Sanj Bhayro, GM of EMEA at Asana, discussed the need for greater transparency from executive leaders about AI plans and policies. He suggested that with leadership guidance, employees are more likely to understand, adopt, and trust AI in the workplace.
As AI continues to reshape the workplace, the demand for transparency and upskilling is evident among UK employees. Companies that embrace a human-centred approach to AI, offer training, and maintain open communication about their AI strategies are more likely to attract and retain talent in this evolving landscape.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.