Fully utilizing tools can save 140 days

According to a Workday report, if AI tools were fully utilized, enterprise leaders could spend more than four hours a day working.

The HR software company asked employees and leaders how much time could be saved each day if AI was used to its full potential. Employees believed they would save 2.9 hours per day, while business leaders nearly doubled that estimate to 4.4 hours.

The report, ‘The UK Productivity Gap: How AI can unlock workplace potential’, calculated that employees would save 737 hours per year (92 days) based on how much time they expected to save, while leaders would save 1,117 hours (140 days per year).

It estimated that if workers could work an extra 2.9 hours a day more efficiently, it would save £11,058 a year in extra work, taking into account reported wages.

This would mean that 10 million workers in large UK enterprises could achieve productivity worth £119 billion each year.

However, concerns about trust and privacy continue to be a barrier to companies adopting AI tools, with 93% of employees and leaders reporting this.

Among leaders, 38% were concerned about security, privacy or bias, while 34% felt they needed more time to educate their teams. Almost a third (32%) blamed lack of investment.

The study found that when the workday was 8 hours long, employees and business leaders were actually productive for 5.8 and 5.9 hours, respectively, leaving more than a quarter of the day unproductive and not generating business value.

However, Daniel Pell, vice president and country manager for Workday UK and Ireland, warns that AI will only reach its full potential if companies build trust and align its use with business outcomes.

“We encourage companies to take a two-pronged approach to implementing AI: a concrete analysis of the efficiencies AI can deliver, and a clear strategy for overcoming the material and cultural barriers to its adoption.”

Workday found that the biggest barrier to productivity is employees who are disengaged from their work, and recommended that organizations prioritize motivating their teams to fully leverage the potential of AI.

Last week, HR software company Lattice announced that it will be the first company to onboard digital workers in the same way humans do.

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