5 Employee Fears of AI and How to Overcome Them | Gartner (2024)

ETHICAL USE OF AI | Gartner | 5 Employee Fears of AI and How to Overcome Them | This report identifies employees' five main concerns about AI. It provides actionable strategies to alleviate these fears, promoting smoother AI integration in the workplace.

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Introduction

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform the workplace, employees are experiencing a range of fears and concerns about its impact on their roles and job security. This executive summary explores the five primary employee fears surrounding AI adoption. It provides strategies for leaders to address these concerns effectively, fostering a more positive and productive AI-enabled work environment.

Key Insights

• AI adoption triggers significant employee fears

  • 75% of employees express concerns about AI's impact on their jobs.

  • Five primary fears identified: job loss, skill obsolescence, loss of human connection, reduced autonomy, and privacy concerns.

• Job loss and skill obsolescence are top concerns

  • 37% of employees worry about AI replacing their jobs entirely.

  • 32% fear their skills will become outdated due to AI advancements.

• AI implementation affects employee well-being and productivity

  • Unaddressed fears can lead to decreased engagement, productivity, and resistance to AI adoption.

  • Proactive management of AI-related concerns can improve employee acceptance and overall organisational performance.

Recommendations

• Develop a comprehensive AI communication strategy

  • Clearly articulate the organisation's AI vision and its impact on roles and responsibilities.

  • Provide regular updates on AI initiatives and their outcomes to maintain transparency.

• Invest in upskilling and reskilling programmes

  • Offer targeted training to help employees develop AI-complementary skills.

  • Create personalised learning paths to address individual skill gaps and career aspirations.

• Foster human-AI collaboration

  • Emphasise AI as a tool to augment human capabilities rather than replace them.

  • Showcase successful examples of human-AI collaboration within the organisation.

• Implement robust data privacy and ethical AI practices

  • Establish clear guidelines for AI use and data handling.

  • Involve employees in developing AI ethics policies to build trust and address privacy concerns.

Conclusion

Organisations can create a more supportive and productive work environment by proactively addressing employee fears surrounding AI adoption. Implementing these strategies will alleviate concerns and position the company to fully leverage AI's benefits while maintaining an engaged and skilled workforce.

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HEALTH, WELL-BEING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY | Harvard Business Review | New Hires’ Psychological Safety Erodes Quickly | This article explores how new hires' psychological safety diminishes quickly after onboarding, revealing critical insights for organisations seeking to maintain openness and innovation in their teams.

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Introduction

In today's fast-paced business environment, organisations are under increasing pressure to onboard and integrate new hires quickly. However, recent research highlights a critical challenge: the rapid erosion of psychological safety among new employees. This executive summary explores the importance of psychological safety for new hires, its impact on learning and innovation, and provides actionable strategies to address this issue.

Key Insights

• Psychological safety declines rapidly for new hires

  • Studies show that psychological safety drops by 22% within the first 90 days of employment.

  • This decline occurs despite initial enthusiasm and openness from new hires.

• "Juniority benefit" comes with hidden costs

  • While younger workforces can bring fresh perspectives, losing experienced employees can impact team dynamics and psychological safety.

  • 50% of employees report feeling uncomfortable speaking up about problems or challenging issues at work.

• Accelerated onboarding is a double-edged sword

  • 75% of Fortune 500 companies are accelerating their onboarding processes.

  • Organisations risk losing valuable insights and ideas from new hires if they don't address psychological safety issues.

Recommendations

• Implement structured psychological safety initiatives

  • Develop specific programmes to maintain and enhance psychological safety throughout onboarding.

  • Aim to conduct psychological safety assessments at 30, 60, and 90 days post-hire.

• Foster a culture of open communication

  • Encourage leaders and managers to solicit and value new team members' input actively.

  • Set a goal to increase psychological safety scores by 15% within the first 6 months of employment.

• Balance rapid onboarding with psychological safety

  • Design onboarding processes prioritising building trust and psychological safety alongside skill development.

  • Extend the onboarding process to 90 days for deeper integration and trust-building.

Conclusion

By recognising the critical importance of psychological safety for new hires and implementing targeted strategies to maintain it, organisations can harness the full potential of their fresh talent. This approach accelerates effective integration and fosters innovation, learning, and sustained high performance.

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