Have you ever felt a mismatch between your own expectations and those of your boss? With the proliferation of Generative AI, that mismatch could get much worse.
A survey of workers and leaders across the U.K. suggests bosses think AI could help them save 50% more time than their employees.
Managing expectations
The poll of 700 workers and 500 business leaders at large organizations in the U.K., commissioned by Workday, found bosses thought AI could save them 4.4 hours each working day. Employees, on the other hand, believe AI could save them 2.9 hours a day.
The difference in expectations backs up a common theme that has emerged since the introduction of Generative AI to workplaces—that of employers being overly bullish about the technology’s capabilities.
There was an obvious gap between employees’ and managers’ perceptions of AI, which speaks to a wider anxiety about the technology among workers.
While bosses thought an organization’s main motivation for introducing AI was a mix of motivated teams, wage growth, and operational profit, more cynical staffers thought their company’s primary goal was simply profitability.
There was also a 22 percentage point higher share of leaders who thought AI could improve their career development and opportunities than employees.
“Leaders, I think, are probably naturally slightly more bullish and optimistic,” Daniel Pell, Workday’s U.K. head.
Bosses will hope they can turn their employees’ perceptions on their heads, or it could contribute to what they already regard as a critical productivity obstacle: unengaged employees.
Four out of 10 employers said unengaged employees harmed their organizations, tied with a lack of incentives as the biggest barrier to productivity gains.