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Executives are eager to find ways for employees to embrace AI and workers who use the new tech are engaged and productive, according to a new survey. Unfortunately, those same employees might also be more likely to leave their companies.
Around 78% of top performers who use AI say they’re actively looking for a new job, says a new report from performance management software Betterworks. That’s compared to 65% of professionals who are resistant to incorporating AI into their work, and say they plan to stay put.
“This is a wake-up call for HR and business leaders,” says Doug Dennerline, CEO of Betterworks. “If employees don’t see company-wide AI use with opportunities to grow and apply their AI skills to make an impact internally, they’ll find them elsewhere.”
AI adoption within corporate America is still slow and wildly uneven. Only 21% of regular workers say they use the technology, compared to 72% of executives. But companies that don’t adopt the technology in earnest risk losing workers who have forged ahead and experimented on their own.
“Employees will leave if they don’t see their company embracing new technologies, encouraging teams to experiment and incorporate AI into their daily workflows, embedding it into their daily processes to drive efficiency, creativity, and strategic decision-making,” says Dennerline.
In order to keep tech-savvy employees on board, he recommends companies focus less on how much they pay people and more about “creating an ecosystem where learning and AI-driven innovation and productivity go hand in hand.”
That means creating “AI-driven internal mobility,” incorporating AI into employee career trajectories, and aligning those skills with future growth opportunities like projects or promotions.
“Rather than risk losing these employees to external opportunities, use AI to surface internal roles and cross-functional projects that align with their evolving skill sets and interests—not only retaining your top talent but strengthening workforce agility,” says Dennerline.
Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com
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