Lack of transparency is casting doubt on AI's benefits for the workforce
The adoption of artificial intelligence tools is driving the shift work economy, but employees in the industry remain sceptical as they are left in the dark on how the technology is helping them out.
This is according to the latest report from Deputy, which drew its findings from more than 41 million shifts and 268 million hours worked.
It found that frontline work is "structurally resilient" to the displacement risks from AI that are threatening office-based jobs.
"AI is not replacing the shift work economy; it is fuelling it," said Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy.
"It's already helping frontline teams work faster and more efficiently."
According to the report, AI reduces the documentation burden and improves patient coordination in hospitals, as well as enables demand forecasting and staffing precision in restaurants.
It also strengthens inventory and workforce alignment in retail, and enhances care coordination and workforce planning in services.
For frontline leaders, AI enables them to have more time for coaching and performance, while reducing time on manual scheduling, compliance tracking, and reactive staffing.
"In frontline industries, the issue is not job elimination. It is operational redesign," Martincevic said in the report.
"What we are seeing now is not replacement of frontline roles. It is the re-architecture of how those roles are supported, scheduled, coordinated, and scaled."
Concerns about AI's impact remain
Despite the resilience of frontline work, the report finds that many employees in these fields are still sceptical amid the lack of transparency from employers.
Nearly 75% of workers agreed that AI tools help them leave work on time more often, but 58% are also concerned that AI will replace part or all of their job.
It comes as around 80% of employees in the report believe there is limited transparency in their workplace about how AI tools are being introduced and used.
"These results highlight a clear gap between adoption and communication," the report reads. "Workers want greater transparency about how and why AI technologies are being deployed in their workplaces."
This clear gap will be the "defining challenge" in the next phase of workforce transformation, according to Martincevic.
"The companies that take that seriously, and bring their workers along rather than leave them in the dark, are the ones that will actually keep their best people," she said.
