Will AI really lighten the load to reduce burnout and improve our wellbeing?

by • Comment, Wellbeing

The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing as a measure against burnout. But will it work?When speaking to leaders about the integration of AI into their businesses, one positive repeated to me in every conversation is ‘AI will lighten the load’. Workplace wellbeing is a recognised priority, with most businesses and organisations seeking to minimise stress and burnout and, ultimately, reduce costly sickness absence. The idea of AI being able to lift some of the daily administrative burden off employees is appealing and it’s certainly a large part of the sales pitch of AI tech suppliers. But will it work?

Imagine you work in a call centre for a bank. Your tele-services are there to field the many daily calls from customers including those who have misplaced their cards, forgotten their PIN or need to authorise a transaction. These calls are straightforward. They have easily recognisable language and terms and so AI is integrated to support call centre agents. The sole purpose of this AI system is to reduce the volume of calls that human agents have to process. In theory this lightening of the workload sounds great, but the reality is very different.

If AI takes care of all the ‘easy’ calls then, by default, the human agents will be dealing with all the difficult calls. They will be handling the agitated, angry, frustrated and challenging customers. Of course, they would have done this before AI joined the team, only now these difficult calls are all they are dealing with. As AI takes care of the quick wins, the human agents are left to field the rest. Not to mention all of these calls are now processed via AI first, leaving customer frustration higher and satisfaction lower as their experience is unnecessarily extended through AI screening.

All of us need some wins in our jobs. We need a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achievement. We want to feel we have helped someone. We need some easy work to support and balance the more challenging. If AI takes this away, then rather than lightening the load, it is merely pushing employees down the path of burnout faster.  Moreover, we are reducing the opportunity for organisational growth.

We know that leaders can use the momentum of quick wins to channel a team’s energy and motivation towards sustained effort and continuous improvement. It is how we keep our employees engaged in the wider purpose and mission of organisations, it’s how we maintain a sense of team work. It’s also how we build a culture of appreciation and encouragement, an important factor in a world where nearly half of employees surveyed said a simple thank you would be enough to make them feel appreciated. Employees aren’t looking for much to feel part of the team and to stay connected to the wider organisational purpose; we need to be careful not to remove what they need. We cannot confuse ‘lightening the load’ with providing meaningful support. Whilst it may look good on paper to reduce call volumes, if the calls employees are left with are accelerating stress, pressure and anxiety then it isn’t going to work for anyone.

We have seen AI cause disruption and challenges in the workplace already and it is essential that we pay close attention to what is helpful to our employees, rather than make assumptions. We see a divide between the expectation and the delivery, with 96% of executives believing AI will increase productivity, against 77% of employees who say AI has made them less productive and has added to their workload.

So, what is the answer to avoid burnout? We need to slow down. We need to carefully consider employee needs, asking them directly what they need help with and where they think AI can support them. Also consider the customer experience. Are you really improving your business if you increase complaints and reduce engagement?

AI software and technologies are developing at break-neck speed. If there isn’t something to directly support your employees and customers, then give it a week or two and it will probably have been created. We don’t need to force ill-fitting systems on our employees in an attempt to boost productivity; we can prevent burnout if we slow down. Not only will this avoid unnecessary burnout relating to task, but relating to AI enthusiasm. We don’t get many chances to integrate new systems before employees lose faith and don’t want to play ball anymore. The more disappointing AI is forced on your teams, the less it is likely to be accepted. So, take a breath. Talk to your teams. Ignore the sales pitches. Make sure that AI is performing at the highest level, so that your people can too.