Facing AI Fatigue? Here’s How to Overcome AI Burnout in the Workplace

With generative AI on the rise, consumers are adopting new AI tools to make life and work easier. However, history tells us that new tech increases worker expectations and the risk of burnout. We’re already seeing engineering team struggle with AI exhaustion to help organizations stay competitive, so what can we do to safeguard our employees?

Advances with ChatGPT and Gemini are leading many experts to see a four-day work week on the horizon. AI algorithms and internal chatbots might streamline work, but many employees are concered over being replaced by artificial intelligence entirely, needing to keep up with new tech, or even taking on additional responsibility.

After the Pandemic’s high burnout levels, organizations are more cognizant of the impact of stress and exhaustion on workers. So with AI-powered tools creating a new concern for employee health and wellness, it’s important for organizations and leaders to monitor employee well-being.

Read on for ways you can support employee wellness proactively.

A history of new technology leading to burnout

Advances in technology promise to make a job easier, but historically new tech also leads many to take on more.

When "labor-saving" kitchen gadgets came out from the late 1800s to the 1960s, household expectations also increased. Take the hand egg-beater. It made beating eggs easier and quicker, but this also opened the door for more complex recipes , meaning women, who primarily took care of the home at this time, were left with more to do.

In the early 2000s, smartphones made it easy for workers to stay in the loop while on the go. But the ability to reach employees 24/7 lead to managers or teams collaborating around the clock, leading to high rates of employee burnout.

Recently, Zoom and MS Teams help remote workers host meetings no matter where they are, saving on travel and encouraging remote work. However, increased video meetings are causing decision fatigue and making people more likely to conform.

Fast forward to today, AI-powered tools and data offer hope, but as automation becomes more common, we're already seeing workers push themselves towards exhaustion.

A survey of 604 software developers and engineers showed that 61% work for organizations are employing AI to build software and 65% of engineers are also experiencing burnout in order to maintain high-performance.

So where do we go from here? AI systems aren’t going anywhere any time soon, so it’s up to organizations and management to plan ahead and support their teams.

Managing AI Burnout with your Employees

Understand the Early Signs of burnout

Mayo Clinic describes burnout as a type of stress tied to work when workers feel worn out physically or emotionally.

Teams might not even realize they’re burnt out, so educating your leadership and employees to identify the symptoms helps everyone stay aware of themselves and their teammates.

Knowing what to look for ensures they can find mental health support and access resources early on.

Wellbeing training program for managers

Engage management with training programs on how they can support their team members’ mental health.

Managers set the tone by example, so educate leadership on identifying burnout in teams. Show them the importance of work-life balance and respecting those off ours or OOO times. Teach managers how to host discussions on employee well-being, so employees know they can turn to leadership for support.

Looking for support employee wellbeing?

Review work patterns

Signs like increased absenteeism or diminishing job satisfaction with employees are sure signs of burnout.

Leadership should review work patterns routinely. Are people calling out more? Has performance slumped? What are your average turnover rates this quarter?

You can also send out employee pulse surveys to help track sentiment movement over time. That way, you know when to organize any interventions, like mental health days, as needed.

Set policies on how to embrace AI effectively

While AI can streamline our work or take on repetitive tasks, this doesn’t mean leaders can introduce new or more work to existing employees.

AI is a powerful tool everyone can use to complement their work. Not add or replace it fully.

As teams adopt new AI, set expectations and policies between leadership and employees. You can also track benchmarks to measure understanding and sentiment of the new AI technology to track how employees are adapting to the change. Review performance and profit— are you seeing any shift thanks to the new system? What about worker sentiment? A high-level view will help you create a road map for success.

Create a roadmap for development teams

Organizations are already leaning on developers or IT to create AI models or support your team’s adoption of new tech. Yet many engineers are already feeling burnt out to help organizations stay on top.

For developers, a roadmap can help set clear objectives for leadership and workers to set expectations, align everyone to your objectives, and safeguard against potential burnout.

Launch initiatives to battle AI Burnout

From executives to middle management to employees, offer wellness initiatives to battle AI burnout proactively.

Introduce mental healthcare benefits. Organize wellness programming like meditation and yoga classes to help workers manage stress. When you build these recurring resources into your employee experience programming, it shows your organization prioritizes employee wellbeing.

Ready to use AI responsibly?

New AI technologies introduces change at work, and when it comes to anything, it’s up to the organization and leadership to ensure employees are adapting smoothly.

Introducing new technology historically leads to higher worker expectations, so it’s important to communicate expectations with your teams and leadership and to be cognizant of its impact.

If you’re looking for ways to create a positive company culture, check out our full guide here.