Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly dominated headlines in recent years. Much of the hype is rooted in the quick pace of organizational adoption, with data from Gallup showing that more than half of today’s employees are using AI, and 28% are using it at least a few times a week.
While AI use is obviously increasing, another phenomenon is also on the rise: employee burnout. 53% of employees report feeling stressed during much of their workday. Others report feelings of worry, sadness, anger, and loneliness. These chronic negative emotions can lead employees to experience emotional and physical exhaustion as well as a lack of motivation and efficacy.
Because of the potential for negative effects across the organization, many HR and business professionals are scrambling to understand how AI adoption may be driving the increase in employee burnout and what, if anything, can be done about it.
Explore the roots of this recent workplace phenomenon and learn how you can protect your business and your employees before taking a hit to your workplace culture, productivity, or bottom line.
What Is AI-Driven Burnout and Why Does It Occur?
AI-driven burnout can be defined as a state of chronic physical and mental exhaustion caused by the rapid integration and heightened expectations of AI in the workplace. Studies show a 45% greater rate of burnout among frequent AI users. Often, this happens for a variety of reasons:
- Fears about AI-driven job elimination
- Workload creep due to elevated productivity expectations
- Social isolation as employees turn to AI for brainstorming and assistance
- Decision fatigue from juggling multiple AI tools and constantly having to verify output
On top of worrying about their jobs, employees are regularly expected to pivot at any given time, when they’ve barely learned the ropes for the last initiative. This can easily become overwhelming for employees and have a significant negative impact on their mental health.
What Constant Change Fatigue Means for Employers
The impacts of burnout are costly for organizations and employees. Burnout gives rise to emotional exhaustion, which can cause employees to feel isolated, unmotivated, and disengaged from their work. In turn, this can lower productivity or increase absenteeism, both of which can affect employee and team performance.
When your employees experience poor well-being, it can lead to a 75% rise in medical costs due to conditions that were entirely preventable. Many organizations with large numbers of struggling employees end up spending 15-20% of payroll on voluntary turnover costs because of burnout and incur tens of millions in lost opportunities.
How to Know When Change Fatigue Shows Up In Your Workforce
There are several signs to look out for when diagnosing problems like AI-related burnout in your team. These include:
- Emotional Disengagement: Employees check out and give the bare minimum, leading them to start skipping meetings or stop volunteering for new projects
- Increased Pushback: Minor changes prompt disproportionate responses of anger or frustration, including relentless criticism of new policies and initiatives
- Slumping Productivity: Employee output may slow down, leading to missed deadlines, high absenteeism, rising error rates, or decreased service quality
If any of these show up in your employees, it’s important to talk with them and work to devise effective solutions to get them back on track, especially since chronic stress, burnout, and mental health concerns can have such drastic effects on your workforce and ultimately your organization as a whole.
What Employers Can Do to Combat and Manage Burnout
To help your employees maintain their mental health in the age of AI, it’s essential to:
- Create Structure: Avoid sudden changes and opt for more gradual phased rollouts with dedicated teams to reduce confusion where needed
- Communicate Effectively: Ensure employees understand the “why” behind the change
- Build the Right Culture: Create psychological safety by celebrating incremental wins, encouraging risk-taking, and creating avenues for feedback
- Support Employees: Provide extensive training tailored to each role and balance workloads to avoid overwhelm
Remember that it’s important to balance ambition with stability. Helping employees avoid burnout during times of rapid change ensures they have the tools to adapt and thrive.
Help Your Employees Thrive in a Fast-Paced Business World
Whether you realize it or not, supporting your employees in protecting their mental health is what drives productivity, reduces turnover, and helps you maintain a competitive edge. Still, it’s often more complicated than leaders think.
If you want to build a culture that elevates productivity and performance, even amid constant innovation, the right guidance is key. Contact AssetHR today to learn how our HR consulting services can help your team successfully navigate employee well-being in the age of AI.