Few employees feel prepared to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their jobs, found a recent Gallup survey. Only 6% of employees felt very comfortable using AI in their roles, while about one in six employees (16%) are very or somewhat comfortable using AI. However, about a third of employees (32%) are very uncomfortable using AI in their roles.

Based on the data, unsurprisingly, from 2023 to 2024, the number of employees who said they are very prepared to work with AI dropped by six percentage points. Some employees may be facing a “reality check” when it comes to AI adoption, Gallup believes. Additionally, the decline may indicate leaders are talking more about AI without providing clear support or direction, leaving employees worried they will be left behind.

While 93% of chief human resources officers said they have begun using AI in their organizations, only 33% of employees have heard about it. And only 15% of employees said their organization has communicated a clear plan or strategy for integrating AI technology into current business practices.

However, when employees strongly agree that a clear plan exists, they are 2.9 times as likely to feel very prepared to work with AI and 4.7 times as likely to feel comfortable using AI in their role.

Most employees (70%) said their organization does not have guidance or policies for using AI at work. While this percentage is lower (60%) for white-collar industries and employees who currently use AI at least once a year (47%), it still means many employees in the most AI-affected jobs do not have straightforward guidelines about using AI at work. By establishing clear guidelines for usage, Gallup suggests organizations can empower their workforce to use these technologies effectively and securely.

Similarly, nearly half of workers who use AI at least once a year said their organizations have not offered any training on using AI at work. When employees participate in required training, they are 89% more likely than those who have not received any training— formal or informal—to say that AI will have an extremely positive impact on their individual productivity and efficiency at work.

In 2024, employee engagement reached an 11-year low, employee satisfaction returned to a record low, and employees were seeking new jobs at the highest level since 2015, Gallup found.

Why are workers feeling this way? Gallup found seven in 10 employees (73%) said their organization has experienced some level of disruptive change during the past year. The more disruption employees experienced, the more likely they are to feel burned out. Managers are reporting disruption from the restructuring of teams (55%) and additional job responsibilities for employees (69%), while nearly half (46%) report budget cuts.

Most (56%) of employees report also noticing changes in customer expectations since the pandemic, with 71% of those employees attributing changes to more demanding customers or higher expectations for a better digital experience.

The pandemic also caused many workers to reevaluate what they want from their career and employer. Work-life balance and better compensation packages became more significant to employees, along with expectations for remote work flexibility. 

Additionally, most leaders said they have very little confidence in their performance management systems, leaving organizations without a reliable way to clarify expectations, align teams, recognize achievements, and develop employees, Gallup found.

Gallup suggested that employers should offer clarity of work expectations and reconnect employees to the company’s mission and purpose.