New Wiley Workplace Intelligence report suggests employees are dealing with continuous change and growing stress; recommends organizations work to build a change-resilient culture.
HOBOKEN, NJ-New Wiley survey results point to a growing risk of change fatigue for employees continuously navigating the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) at work. The report suggests the combination of constant change and rising stress levels threatens to create a "cascade crisis," where employees are repeatedly battered by new disruptions before they've had a chance to recover from previous ones.
Recent Wiley research has revealed significant and growing levels of stress in the workforce caused by recurring changes in organizations, including the rapid ascension and use of AI. In the newest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, "Navigating the AI Era: Five Key Insights for Managing Change," two-thirds (67%) of respondents say they expect more change in near future, with more than a third (35%) reporting severe stress levels.
"When employees are perpetually in reactive mode, there's a growing risk of change fatigue setting in, impacting their ability to adapt, innovate, and perform and hurting productivity," said Wiley researcher Dr. Tracey Carney, who headed the study. "To address these issues, it's important for organizations to develop clear policies around AI, offer effective training, and build a change-resilient culture, moving from reactive management to proactive change leadership."
Managers Hit Hard
The findings suggest managers have been hit particularly hard by this combination of factors, which has put them under immense pressure. More than half (52%) of managers say they feel responsible for helping their teams navigate change, yet fewer than half (45%) feel adequately supported by senior leadership.
The biggest challenge for managers isn't resistance to change from their employees, which few cite as a problem. Instead, their main obstacles are a lack of clear information from their organization and the struggle to balance productivity with adaptation.
Employees Up for AI; Organizations Behind
On the positive side, the survey findings indicate that employees are largely open to AI, with more than two-thirds (68%) saying they feel excited or curious about it and close to half (44%) reporting they already use it at least weekly.
Many organizations, however, don't appear to be keeping pace. A third of respondents (33%) aren't sure if their company has AI policies, and nearly as many (30%) don't know how their employer views AI usage. In addition, only 18% say their organization gives them comprehensive change training, despite the large majority (78%) feeling such training would be valuable.
Recommendations
To successfully handle the integration of AI, the report suggests organizations must[SA1] develop clear policies, offer robust training, and embed AI into change management strategies. It recommends employers work to build change-resilient cultures that empower middle managers, integrate support systems, and communicate clearly about both current changes and future AI integration.
To build a change-resilient culture, the report recommends organizations:
- create space for recovery between disruptions,
- support managers with clear information and leadership backing,
- prioritize communication as a strategic tool, and
- align AI enthusiasm with organizational readiness.
Wiley offers professional learning solutions including Everything DiSC, The Leadership Challenge, The Five Behaviors, and PXT Select designed to help companies, managers, and individual employees assess and improve workplace skills, perform better, and become more successful. In May, Wiley launched Everything DiSC Worksmart, a new tool to help managers better apply the insights from its Everything DiSC assessment within their daily flow of work.
Methodology
The data in this report are based on surveys completed by 1,685 respondents across North America, from individual contributors to executive leaders.
About Wiley
Wiley (NYSE: WLY) is a global leader in authoritative content, data-driven insights, and knowledge services that advance science and learning. For more than 200 years, we've empowered researchers, learners and institutions worldwide to drive progress and solve the world's most pressing challenges. Visit us at Wiley.com and Investors.Wiley.com
