AI, robots and workplace tracking are negatively impacting people’s quality of life. report from the Institute for the Future of Work found.
The report highlights that “such technologies can exacerbate job insecurity, workload intensification, routinization and loss of meaning of work, as well as disempowerment and loss of autonomy, all of which harm to the general well-being of employees.
However, more established workplace technologies, including instant messaging, laptops and tablets, have improved employee wellbeing, according to analysis of almost 5,000 UK workers.
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Magdalena Soffia, co-author of the report and postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for the Future of Work, said: Human ressources that the impact of AI on the workplace “doesn’t have to be bad”.
“The opposite is also possible,” she said. “What we’re seeing now is the downside and we know it can be different.”
Soffia pointed out that while their research did not directly examine causality, the rapid deployment of new technologies in the workplace could make workers feel “that you no longer have control and (technology) has the control,” and this “(can be) exacerbated when you don’t have enough training to manage this technology and maintain control.”
“The research cannot stop there,” she said. “It’s not necessarily the technology itself; that’s not the nature of the system. It’s the purpose for which it is used that probably has more impact than anything else.
The report warned that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to workplace technology was insufficient. “New technologies have a complex impact on UK workers which must be properly understood and then monitored on an ongoing basis,” it says.
The report comes at a “critical time,” said Anna Thomas, co-founder and co-director of the Institute for the Future of Work, when governments, policymakers and business leaders “often struggle to understand the social and broader impacts and implications of new technologies.
She said the report had “significant implications” for technology, health and labor policy in the run-up to the general election, and said policymakers should have a more nuanced and concerted approach to policy in this area.
Soffia added that workplaces must ensure that AI deployment follows a “human-centric approach”.
“The design and process of deployment, adoption and development of these systems must involve employees themselves and must be guided and regulated, because many human decisions are actually behind this,” she said .
“And if these criteria are simply driven by goals of improving productivity and efficiency at work instead of prioritizing the well-being and health of society, then you could end up with results completely different.”
The report states: “Work is more than the most important determinant of living standards. Work is the thread that connects the lives of individuals to their communities and the economy.
“Work and wellbeing are inextricably linked – and as we shape the future of our work, we also shape the future of our wellbeing. However, research and public policy have tended to treat technology and well-being separately and focus disproportionately on job loss and employment. Much less attention has been paid to the impact of workplace technologies on job quality and workers’ quality of life.
It comes like separate search by Orgvue found that three in five (61%) respondents expected AI to replace people in their organization.
Oliver Shaw, CEO of Orgvue, said: “Organizations are starting to realize that the practicalities of integrating AI into core business operations are far from simple. There is a dichotomy between business leaders’ need to prepare for AI’s entry into the workforce, their desire for change, and the organization’s ability to make this transformation a reality.
“This gap in thinking perhaps stems from a lack of clarity on the exact impact of AI on businesses and their workforces – indeed, research indicates that spending to date is more of a gold rush than a carefully planned trip. It will also make managing the transformation even more difficult.
The survey of 1,000 global executives and decision-makers found that four in five (82%) organizations have already invested in AI, but 50% admitted to being unclear about its business impact or how to achieve it. implement.
Shaw said some CEOs were “convinced that AI would solve their business challenges” – whether “out of optimism or naivety”. However, this is a “dangerous” position.
“To achieve their AI ambitions, CEOs should arm themselves with a better understanding of how AI will truly impact the work of their people today and the skills their organization has. , as well as how this might evolve over time,” he said.
