Companies are bringing in more AI than ever — but employees are increasingly just working around it
Four in five companies admit they're introducing new tools too quickly, as workers choose to adopt their own preferred tools.
A new report from Ricoh reveals a significant disparity between employers' optimism and employees' frustration with AI and other advanced technologies in the workplace. While business leaders believe their AI investments will yield great productivity gains, 53% of workers find these tools to be creating extra work and hindering their efficiency.
Ricoh analyzed four key work technologies - AI tools, communication and collaboration tools, data access tools, and workflow management tools - and found AI to provide the least productivity boost. Furthermore, only 14% of remote workers feel they experience collaboration issues, while 25% of hybrid workers report difficulties working across different environments.
The problem lies in the fragmented nature of technology, data, and workflows, which employees must navigate on their own. Despite the rise of remote work, 45% of workers admit to using unapproved tools like shadow AI at least once a month, creating a governance nightmare for employers. Four-fifths (81%) of decision-makers admit to pouring more resources into new technology than they invest in supporting worker adoption, showing a clear recognition of the fallacy in their approach.
To remedy the situation, Ricoh North America Chief Digital Services and Delivery Officer, Bob Lamendola, urges organizations to focus on orchestrating the technology, information, and workflows they already possess. Employers must slow down and identify the areas where new tools like AI can truly enhance productivity.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
