How businesses can turn AI-powered efficiency into long-term employee wellbeing
AI is helping people get more done in less time. But unless leaders are intentional, those time savings could turn into a sense of pressure to do even more. This article explores why wellbeing should shape AI strategy, how generational expectations are diverging, and what companies can do to avoid AI fatigue.
Why the way AI is deployed matters
AI is being hailed as the ultimate collaboration partner: efficient, knowledgeable, and always on. But like any major shift, it comes with growing pains, and that’s why the way it’s introduced matters.
While the promise of AI is huge, the reality is complex: without an intentional, human-focused deployment plan, AI adoption can fuel “AI fatigue”: a creeping sense of burnout brought on by the pressure to do more, faster, with fewer boundaries.
But here’s the good news: AI doesn’t have to come at the cost of wellbeing. If rolled out thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful driver of focus, freedom, and fulfillment.
The key to a happy AI-enabled workforce is an intentional and well-paced rollout and a focus on employee wellbeing.
Here’s why and how.
AI and the new performance paradox
Many workers are excited about what AI can offer. Yet under the surface, our research finds a mismatch between potential and practice. While 91% of employees are aware of tools like ChatGPT, only 17% use them daily. This suggests an underlying hesitation, and one reason might be the rising expectation to squeeze more into the same workday. This is the paradox at the heart of AI-powered productivity: people fear that automation won’t lead to more space, just more work. This stress is often called “AI fatigue”.
And yet, the promise is real: when companies strike the right balance, AI can take mundane, time-consuming tasks off workers’ hands and free them up to focus on more meaningful, creative work.
According to Jabra’s Great ExpectAItions report, right now employees are spending the bulk of their time on low-impact, repetitive tasks like writing emails, taking meeting notes, or attending meetings, activities widely viewed as productivity drains.
AI has the power to alleviate this digital debt. But unless organizations are intentional, there’s a risk that the time saved will simply be reabsorbed by even higher expectations, leaving employees feeling more stretched, not less
Leaders and workers want different things from time saved
So, what happens when AI delivers on its time-saving promise? Here, Jabra’s data reveals a clear tension.
Decision makers say they would use the extra hours to double down on output, taking on more promotable work, skilling up, or driving strategic impact. Knowledge workers, on the other hand, want to reclaim time for themselves. Thirty-one percent say they’d prefer more flexible hours, 29% would spend more time with loved ones, and 27% would focus on self-care and wellbeing
AI might be able to unlock efficiency, but people still need time to recharge, reflect, and reconnect. Ignoring that desire risks eroding the very productivity AI is meant to improve.
Younger employees: first adopters, with one foot out the door
Gen Z and Millennials are nearly twice as likely to use AI at work than Baby Boomers. They’re curious, eager, and often self-teaching on the job. But they’re also the most vocal about its impact, especially when training is lacking or when AI’s integration feels rushed.
In fact, just 45% of Millennials and 51% of Gen Z feel they’re getting the support they need to thrive in AI-powered workplaces.
This matters, because younger workers are often cast as the first generation of AI natives. But they’re also more purpose-driven, climate-conscious, and deeply invested in work-life balance. If younger workers feel sidelined or steamrolled by unrealistic expectations, businesses risk losing some of their most values-driven talent.
Gen Z and Millennials are just not interested in being the first to turn up and the last to leave. Unlike previous generations, they place less emphasis on salary and more on values such as creativity, adaptability and empathy, uniquely human strengths that complement AI rather than compete with it.
In other words, exactly what companies risk losing out on if they fail to create environments where employees feel supported and involved in shaping the way AI is used in their workplace
The wellbeing opportunity: a better path forward
The goal shouldn’t be to replace human effort with AI, but to refocus it toward the tasks that energize, inspire, and build connection.
Jabra’s data shows that the activities people find most fulfilling, such as creative projects, strategic thinking, learning, and collaboration, are also those they’re least willing to hand over to AI. In contrast, note-taking, email writing, and calendar management are top of the list for AI delegation.
If businesses want to unlock AI’s full potential, they must recognize that productivity and wellbeing aren’t opposing goals, they’re mutually reinforcing.
Happy, engaged workers do better work. And the best AI strategies will create more space for that work to happen.
Making AI work for people
Here are five ways to move from AI fatigue to AI flourishing:
- Design for intention, not just efficiency.
Reinvest time saved by AI into work that feels meaningful, not just more work. Create policies that support creativity, autonomy, and flexibility. - Train and empower.
With 62% of knowledge workers saying they need new AI-related skills, investing in training isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of sustainable adoption. - Build in breaks and boundaries.
Encourage microbreaks, promote screen-free time, and explore policies like the “right to disconnect.” Data shows that 10-minute “microbreaks” are efficient in boosting wellbeing by helping employees reset mentally, improve their focus and enhance long-term productivity. - Start with trust.
Don’t assume all employees are ready to embrace AI with open arms. Open dialogue, co-design opportunities, and empathetic leadership will help people feel included, not imposed upon. - Focus on company culture
Workflow automation can leave employees feeling isolated from their teams. To counter this, companies should actively invest in fostering human connection through regular team check-ins, in-person offsites or AI-free collaborative sessions focused on creativity and problem-solving. These moments of real connection don’t just strengthen team spirit and shared culture, they also drive performance: 70% of workers say that engaging in creative and innovative tasks actually boosts their productivity.
In conclusion
AI could be key to greater efficiency, improved decision making, less time spent on mundane tasks and ultimately, less time at work – but it also has the potential to increase employees’ cognitive load at a time when demand for greater work-life balance is on the rise.
We say that it’s time for companies to go beyond simply rolling out new tools, and instead a smarter approach to work: one that prioritizes what people actually want: less busywork, more balance, and a stronger sense of purpose.
Employee wellbeing makes good business sense: happy workers are literally worth trillions more in economic value. Companies like Google make employee happiness a strategic priority and have reaped the rewards in productivity, retention and brand reputation.
The businesses that win the AI era won’t be those that squeeze the most productivity out of their teams. They’ll be the ones that use AI to give their people what they really need: time, trust, and the tools to thrive.
