New report reveals a workforce that's stretched to the limit
Employees are reporting heavier workloads instead of the higher-value work AI promised to deliver, according to a new report, which urged a rethink on how work gets done instead of blanket restructuring.
Findings from Korn Ferry's Workforce 2026 Global Insights Report revealed a workforce that is too stretched to even focus on valuable work.
It found that 62% of employees now have workloads that have increased significantly in the last two years, leaving 44% stretched beyond their capabilities at work and another 45% too busy to deliver meaningful results.
The findings come as AI adoption accelerates across workplaces, raising questions about whether the technology is delivering on its promise.
The majority of employees (63%) agreed that using AI to help them in their job increased their efficiency. However, 52% of employees also reported that AI tools have increased the number of tasks expected in their role.
AI cuts jobs but not the workload
The layoffs and restructuring driven by the adoption of AI tools may also be doing more harm than good, according to Korn Ferry.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas data has shown that AI is now the most-cited reason for layoffs since January 2026, but Korn Ferry points out AI is only able to take away some of the workload from a single employee.
The remainder of tasks gets redistributed to employees, and now 61% of Korn Ferry's respondents feel they are performing the responsibilities of more than one role.
"As organisations push hard to drive growth and many employees feel stretched, adding more technology without expanding workforce capacity clearly is not the answer," said Roger Philby, Global Lead, People Strategy and Performance, Korn Ferry, in a statement.
"The organisations that will be better positioned to grow are those that redesign roles, rethink how work gets done with AI, and enable people to see the impact of their work."
Steps to redesigning work
The report underscored that AI's biggest benefit isn't reducing the headcount at an organisation.
"It's taking the repetitive, low-value work off people's plates, leaving them time to focus on the work humans are much better at, such as judgment and innovation," it read.
To redesign jobs, it urged organisations to identify the work that needs a human, what AI can own, and how they can work together.
It also advised employers to give their staff the opportunity to figure out when AI helps with their work, versus when it's nothing more than a checkbox task.
"Growth doesn't come from just asking people to do more. It's about enabling them to do their best work, with space to experiment and innovate," said Lesley Uren, CEO of Korn Ferry Consulting.
"Cost-cutting and restructuring create savings, but they don't create the kind of passion that powers productivity. And passion is what separates a workforce that delivers the bare minimum from one that goes above and beyond to deliver growth."
