Managers are benefitting more from AI than employees

In today’s edition of “How AI is reshaping the world of work,” let’s talk about how managers and employees are adjusting to the tech…

More than half (60.4%) of managers “feel very or extremely capable using AI” versus 36.8% of individual contributors, a recent report from workplace insights company Charter found. The majority (55%) of managers said AI makes their professional and personal lives better compared to 28.6% of workers.

“One of the big reasons for that is agency,” Brian Elliott, future of work strategist and Charter’s executive-in-residence, told HR Brew. “It’s whether or not you feel like you have control over how AI fits into your job.”

What’s going on? Sixty-seven percent of managers feel like they can control how AI is integrated into their workflows, Elliott said, whereas 37% individual contributors feel that same sense of AI agency. And managers are using that agency to help them achieve their goals.

“When we talk to frontline managers, they are feeling immense amounts of stress and strain on them to do more with less, to squeeze their teams, to generate more output,” he said. “They’re using AI to help some of that.”

Managers are also more likely to have the time and space to learn how to use and have success with AI tech, as well as get recognized for and feel supported in using it, the research found.

What can HR do? People leaders can provide hands-on training sessions on the specific AI tools that they’re encouraging employees to use, Elliott said, as well as organize demos where employees share with colleagues how they’re using AI and one-on-one sessions between managers and employees to go through AI tools together.

“Those types of activities go a really far way versus just saying, ‘Here’s the generic training, go and take it, and good luck,’” he said.