AI is supposedly improving our productivity, with a myriad of tools now available to automate menial tasks such as calendar management, note-taking and email writing.
It would be sensible to deduce then, that AI is reducing our workloads by taking some of these time-consuming activities off our plates. But it’s more complicated than that, because far more than simply reducing our work, AI is transforming how we work altogether.
From a macro perspective, AI has resulted in the drastic reduction or even elimination of some roles entirely and, in some instances, the retraining of those individuals for new roles. IKEA, for instance, previously announced that it retrained 8,500 call centre staff as design advisers, because AI now handles the majority of its calls.
In addition, within specific roles, AI has now shifted the focus from some tasks to others. In marketing for instance, while there might be tools to, for example, more easily create graphics and videos, there’s also now a much keener focus on personalisation due to the amount of customer data marketers can quickly analyse.
This environment gives us two questions to consider: 1) How is AI changing how we work? And 2) Are organisations ready to support their staff in this new approach to work?
How AI is changing the way we work
At Avilio, in October 2025 we commissioned an independent survey of 1,200 employees across UK, assessing the impact of AI on their work. Over half (53%) reported that AI is making them more productive, as more manual tasks get automated. Considering how AI has proliferated across all aspects of working life, you might expect this figure to be higher.
But here’s what really interests me. While our study showed the most people think AI is making them more productive, another piece of research by freelancing platform Upwork recently found that, for the vast majority of the workforce (77%), they feel that AI is increasing their workloads.
Now, you might think that these two statements are in direct conflict. But that’s not the case – the relationship between AI and productivity is complex, and actually both are true. It is very possible that AI can simultaneously make you more productive (it takes you less time to do the same amount of work) while also adding to your workload (either by opening up new opportunities you need to explore, or by adding to your responsibilities because managers expect you to do more with your time).
Let’s return to the example of a marketing manager: a marketer completing more work with the aid of AI is more productive, but the fundamentals and demands of the job have changed to the extent that more is being demanded of them.
Some of this demand stems from employers, with companies and leaders having unrealistic expectations of the productivity gains AI can bring. In other words, while a new AI tool might improve a team’s productivity by 5%, management were anticipating that gain to be 10% and making up workloads with extra work to that degree.
In addition, we must also factor in the time spent learning new tools and checking the work of AI. Before anyone is fully competent in how a particular tool works, using it will take more time not less. Additionally, time is also spent drafting detailed prompts, fact-checking AI output and fixing errors.
This means that while AI has made us more productive it’s not brought workers or managers the relief that we might have expected. And, since AI is developing at pace, how to best implement and use it is an ever-changing challenge. These shifting sands have a significant impact on employees who are required to adapt continuously to changing roles and expectations.
Are organisations ready to support their employees?
Revisiting our new research, one of the key findings was that 46% of employees believe AI will change their job significantly over the next two years. However, since no one can know exactly what those changes will be, this brings its own pressure and uncertainty. And that’s reflected in the fact that 31% are worried their job will become obsolete altogether within the next five years.
More than a third (36%) of respondents said that they are at risk of burnout so, for a nation that is already contending with high levels of stress, there is a pertinent issue here in whether AI is helping or hindering in the quest for productivity and work-life balance. In fact, when asked about which factors cause them the most stress in relation to their work, one in ten named the impact of AI on their job and sector as the most significant cause.
According to the government in 2023-4, 16.4 million working days were lost due to stress, depression or anxiety. Given the cost to employees and employers of stress and burnout, organisations need to take steps to make sure that their teams are well equipped to manage the AI transition.
What can leaders do?
While no one can truly eliminate the uncertainty around how AI will transform job roles or entire sectors, there are steps that leaders can take to protect their employees from unnecessary stress:
- Introduce AI tools gradually rather than making sweeping changes. Make sure that this is done in consultation with employees so that they know what’s coming and how it will impact them. Allow time to adjust to using new models and provide the support needed to implement them effectively.
- Keep dialogues open continually so that issues can be raised and discussed in an open and honest manner without fear of repercussions.
- Closely monitor workloads and how these are changing to prevent unrealistic expectations.
- Ensure that employees get the necessary training and support as their roles evolve.
- Make sure staff remain happy as their workload increases in line with being more productive.
It’s long been accepted that happier employees are more engaged, productive and loyal, and that this translates directly into a healthier bottom line for businesses. However, stress levels in the UK remain stubbornly high, and far from being a potential silver bullet, AI might exacerbate existing problems.
The causes of stress are complex, but amidst the rapid adoption AI, business leaders can undoubtedly take action to offer their teams important support and ensure that the effects of changing technology are not a contributor to burnout.
