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MOO, the leading design company specializing in premium branded merchandise and print services, has officially published the results from its latest report, which discovered that more and more workers now crave deeper human connection in the face of burgeoning AI adoption.
Going by the available details, this particular study took into account the opinion of 1,000 U.S. knowledge workers, eventually discovering workplace loneliness is very much on the up, as employees practice “cognitive outsourcing.”
That's supported by the fact that 65% of knowledge workers are currently engaging in "cognitive outsourcing." This indicates a growing familiarity with AI tools by asking a question of technology rather than a coworker. Out of that, Millennials were found to be the leaders in cognitive outsourcing, with 71% preferring to turn to AI first, as compared to just 51% of Baby Boomers and Gen Z.
Having said so, we must also dig into a piece of fact that, even though 62% of knowledge workers are being encouraged to use AI in their roles, not everyone is comfortable with its widespread adoption.
In fact, 28% go on to they are irritated by colleagues who rely on AI tools like ChatGPT for everything, an issue more evident among Millennials than any age group. Millennials, on the other hand, were found to be twice as likely to deal with this problem as Baby Boomers (32% vs. 16%).
Another point worth mentioning is the fact that 89% of Gen Z and 82% of Millennials report feeling lonely at work, and that 79% of knowledge workers, particularly younger generations, report feeling isolated at work. Then there is the 84% of employees who went on to experience loneliness after being encouraged to use AI at work. Moving on, an estimated 60% of knowledge workers were found to think it’s likely that AI will replace some of their colleagues.
MOO’s survey further got to know that, from the ones always lonely at work (40%) are much more likely to describe their company culture as stressful or overwhelming than those who are never lonely at work (14%).
Turning our attention to a part of the report that looks at the value of human and physical tools, it talks about how more than 46% of respondents said they remembered the most when they took their own notes, but only 23% said they remembered more with AI transcription tools. Taking a generation-focused stock of things, over a third (36%) Gen Z revealed their ability to recall information is better when they use AI transcription tools, compared to 1 in 12 (8%) Baby Boomers surveyed who said the same.
MOO’s survey also revealed tool preferences of users, discovering that knowledge workers rated physical tools like sticky notes (51%) and handwritten notes or journals (48%) almost equal to AI assistants or writing tools (43%). The purpose of the additional research in question was to provide a summary of the onboarding process and the role it plays in establishing the overall workplace experience. You see, according to the survey, only about half (52 percent) of knowledge workers said they were properly onboarded when they started their jobs, and 59% of those workers said their expectations were unclear. Almost like an extension of it, the research cited excessive reliance on digital tools as a reason for poor onboarding. In this regard, 39% of knowledge workers said they preferred training through interactive digital tools, but 32% still favor learning from a coworker. Gen Z, in particular, stated that they would prefer digital training (46%), whereas Baby Boomers, on the other hand, prefer hands-on instruction (49%). The fact that only 49% of onboarding processes included an overview of performance expectations and an introduction to the company's culture and values impacted the aforementioned onboarding as well. “AI is transforming the way we work and increasing automation, but it’s connection, creativity, and culture that remain at the heart of thriving organizations,” said Claire Donald, Chief Product and Technology Officer at MOO. “As companies adopt new tools, they must also prioritize human interaction—those day-to-day meetings and opportunities to collaborate that foster a sense of belonging and spark innovation across teams.”
