With AI productivity, your team is burning out
I’ve been working in the tech industry for over 20 years, and for about half that time I’ve been in a leadership role. I’ve always believed that to achieve good results, it’s essential to keep an eye on teams’ wellbeing because how people feel shows up in their work. People don’t always want to talk about what’s troubling them, so you need to spot it early when something’s gone wrong. I had a…
For over two decades, the tech industry has witnessed the rise of AI tools that streamline workloads and save time. However, as AI becomes more integrated, it threatens to disrupt the warning signs of employee burnout. Traditionally, a drop in productivity would signal the need for early intervention, but AI has altered the scenario.
A study of 442 employees at tech companies revealed that the connection between burnout and reduced productivity weakened among those using AI more. This suggests that AI can mask the early signs of burnout, making it difficult for managers to spot subtle changes in team members' well-being.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne found that 82% of surveyed managers save an average of 2 hours and 50 minutes per week using generative AI. Yet, more than half of these managers used the extra time to take on more work and 36% didn't even realize they had gained more free time.
As AI speeds up work and raises the bar for workload and complexity, some teams may see an uneven distribution of productivity gains. This imbalance can cause middle-level employees to spend more time fixing and rewriting AI-generated code, leading to potential burnout.
To combat this issue, leaders must look beyond productivity metrics to identify the underlying causes of burnout. Acknowledging and valuing "invisible" work—such as reviewing AI-generated content and fixing errors—is crucial. These tasks should be considered part of performance reviews and workloads should be balanced accordingly.
Furthermore, leaders should be cautious not to equate AI adoption with increased efficiency. Instead, they should assess whether AI truly enhances decision-making. By reevaluating how AI affects team dynamics and workloads, managers can better identify and address early signs of burnout, ensuring a healthier, more productive work environment.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
