New report calls on HR to set guardrails to protect human connections at work
The adoption of artificial intelligence tools has delivered a bounty of benefits in the workplace, but a new report is warning that it is also "slowly eroding" social connections at work.
Findings from Workday's latest global research revealed that AI is delivering various gains, particularly on increasing productivity and employee confidence.
It is also reducing burnout at work, with 62% of employees saying their stress and burnout risk have declined since using AI tools.
Eroding workplace moments
The report attributed these benefits to AI's ability at "removing friction," a capability that it warned is also unintentionally impacting social connections at work.
"Albeit unintentionally, people are using AI to smooth out other areas of friction, too. Brainstorming with coworkers. Asking a colleague for advice. Working through disagreements," the report read.
"Quintessential moments of workplace connection happen inside those small frictions. They're the texture of working with other people. And they open up opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, learning, innovation, and more."
But people are replacing these moments by interacting with AI, which is perceived as faster, easier, and more available.
According to the findings, 76% of employees are now getting advice from AI. More than half (52%) are also using it to brainstorm. Others are using the technology to:
- Seek companionship (37%)
- Ask for career mentorship (31%)
- Prepare for a difficult conversation (20%)
"As AI answers more of the questions employees used to turn to colleagues to help answer, the small moments that have helped build trust inside organisations are becoming optional rather than automatic," the report read.
"They still happen. But they must happen by design now, not by default."
Employee behaviour is also changing because of AI, with a third of employees saying they rarely or never have conversations with colleagues that go beyond transactional work-related tasks.
More than a third of employees also said they are now experiencing the following since adopting AI tools:
- Less patience for small talk
- Struggling more to read the emotional tone and non-verbal cues of their colleagues
- Feeling more anxious about spontaneous phone calls or drop-ins
- Feeling their ability to resolve conflict without digital mediation has declined
What employers need to do
The social impact of AI adoption also needs to be addressed as it could lead to a less connected workforce.
Gen Z workers, who are shown to be highly capable of working with AI, show in real time the challenges early adopters face.
And based on the findings, 41% of Gen Z employees rarely or never have conversations with colleagues that go beyond transactional work-related tasks.
Gen Z employees are also more likely to say that they feel less connected to colleagues than they did three years ago, and that they struggle to navigate interpersonal social situations.
"This could be an early signal of atrophy of workplace social skills," the report read.
The findings underscore the need to establish guardrails to keep the productivity gains of AI, while also protecting human relationships in the workplace.
"Human connection isn't just a cultural nice-to-have. It shapes collaboration, innovation, trust, and long-term engagement," the report said.
"If employees increasingly turn to AI instead of each other, workplaces risk becoming operationally efficient while socially fragmented.
"Instead, organisations must actively protect the human dynamics that make great work possible," it added.
