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AI was of course the topic du jour at SAP SuccessFactors SuccessConnect user conference in Lisbon this week. The conversation focused mainly on an observable subtle shift in the thinking of solutions providers from a singular focus on innovation to additionally consider the challenges and benefits of user adoption.
“From a customer standpoint, they know that there's huge potential promise of opportunity that comes with AI,” said Lara Albert, SuccessFactors’ vice president of product marketing. “But the question is, how do I actually deploy AI capabilities that offer real tangible value in a way that will be embraced?”
Albert sees her customers looking to identify what AI can do for their HR departments. "[They want to identify] the big payouts or benefits, whether it's efficiency or productivity or employee experience,” she said. “Where am I going to start and then how am I going to be successful in terms of getting organizational buy-in and end user buy-in to really get the value out of those AI investments?”
The employee buy-in part is particularly tricky, because workers have something of a love-hate relationship with AI. While they recognize the technology’s value, they’re also increasingly concerned about how it will impact their livelihoods. It’s not a challenge they should face alone, many believe. They want employers to have their backs.
Employees Look to Employers to Explain the Changing Nature of Work
In 2023, 12% of workers worried AI would make their skills less relevant. In the space of a year, that proportion rose significantly. Now nearly a quarter (23%) say that has happened in 2024. Where 8% feared they’d lose their jobs to AI last year, this year 13% reported that had happened.
These numbers come from a survey Adecco Group conducted of 35,000 workers around the world. The authors of the report advised employers to be clear about the opportunities presented by AI, but also transparent about the impact it can have on jobs.
Employees feel the same. Only 20% of workers believe it is their responsibility to educate themselves about the changing nature of work, down seven points from 2023. Nearly half said it was the job of managers or corporate leaders.
That's not to say employees believe they should be passive when it comes to adapting to AI. Nearly three-quarters, 71%, are ready to adjust to changing work environments. Almost as many, 69%, believe workplace changes will make them more committed to skills development. And more than half expect AI to shift their career’s direction in a positive way, with 46% already seeing some benefits to their career paths.
All of this may in part explain why the proportion of workers who expect to remain in their current jobs for the next year has risen, from 61% in 2022 to 83% today. Adecco isn't alone in that finding: iHire’s 2024 Talent Retention Report found an 11.1% year-over-year decrease in voluntary quits.
Related Article: Has AI Delivered on Its Promises?
Recruiting’s Human Element
To address these concerns, employers must pay more attention to the work environment and protect workers’ mental health from the impact of AI, the report stated. For example, while more workers are willing to speak freely, the proportion of those who believe their companies are better at making them feel safe has remained more or less stagnant, from 56% in 2023 to 55% in 2024.
Even before they land a job, AI’s growth has led more workers to cast a wary eye on its involvement in the recruiting process. In part because they want more human involvement in their interactions with potential employers. This year, 76% said they expected a human to recognize their potential, up from 64% in 2023. It follows that fewer trust AI to assess their experience — down 45% in 2024 compared to 55% last year.
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Unsurprisingly, employees worry that AI-based systems will miss a number of the human elements involved in job-hunting and work. More than half (52%) believe AI won’t recognize non-verbal cues during interviews, while 38% don’t understand how AI would identify them as a viable candidate. Nineteen percent of those who feel threatened by AI worry the technology will somehow discriminate against them, compared to the global average of 12%.
SAP released research to align with the SuccessConnect event which suggested a lack of AI literacy may be at the root of many of these fears. This ties into the Adecco findings and suggests once again that companies looking to fully capitalize on the productivity gains of AI must first tackle employees' AI fears through pro-active education.
