When ChatGPT emerged in late 2022, Anurag Garg, founder of a PR agency, was enthusiastic about integrating this technology into his team’s workflow of 11 employees to maintain a competitive edge. Mr. Garg urged his staff to utilize the AI language tool for various daily tasks, including generating story ideas, crafting pitches for the media, and transcribing meeting notes. However, instead of enhancing productivity, the initiative led to increased stress and tension among team members. Staff reported that tasks were taking longer as they had to create briefs and prompts for ChatGPT, while also double-checking its output for inaccuracies. Each platform update required them to learn new features, consuming even more time. “There were too many distractions. The team complained that their tasks were taking twice the amount of time because we were now expecting them to use AI tools,” says Mr. Garg, who operates Everest PR between the US and India. The goal of introducing AI was to simplify workflows, but it ended up adding to the workload, contributing to feelings of stress and burnout. Will AI Exacerbate Workplace concerns became apparent as the team struggled to manage their new responsibilities.
As a business leader, Mr. Garg found himself overwhelmed by the influx of AI tools available in the market, feeling pressured to keep up with every new release. In addition to ChatGPT, he was using Zapier to track team tasks and Perplexity for client research. “There’s an overflow of AI tools in the market, and no single tool solves multiple problems. As a result, I constantly needed to keep tabs on multiple AI tools to execute tasks, which became more of a mess. It was hard to track which tool was supposed to do what, and I started getting utterly frustrated,” Mr. Garg explained. “The market is flooded with AI tools, so if I invest in a specific app today, there’s a better one available next week. There’s a constant learning curve to stay relevant, which I was finding hard to manage, leading to burnout.” In response, he relaxed the mandate requiring the team to use AI for all tasks, limiting its use to research purposes. This change improved overall morale, with team members feeling more engaged and connected to their work. Will AI Exacerbate Workplace stress levels is a question many leaders are grappling with as they evaluate their teams’ experiences.
The stress experienced by Mr. Garg and his team is mirrored in recent research. A survey by freelancer platform Upwork, which included 2,500 knowledge workers from the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, found that 96% of top executives believe AI tools will enhance productivity within their companies. However, 81% acknowledged increased demands on workers over the past year. Despite these expectations, 77% of employees reported that AI tools had decreased their productivity and added to their workload, with 47% unsure how to meet the productivity gains their employers anticipated. Consequently, 61% of respondents felt that using AI in the workplace would increase their likelihood of experiencing burnout—a figure that rises to 87% among those under 25, according to a separate survey by Resume Now. The same survey revealed that 43% of individuals believe AI will negatively affect their work-life balance. Will AI Exacerbate Workplace burnout issues remains a pressing concern as many workers already feel overwhelmed by their workloads.
Additional studies illustrate how the introduction of more workplace applications impacts employee well-being. A survey conducted by work management platform Asana revealed that among workers using six to 15 different apps, 15% reported missing messages and notifications due to the overwhelming number of tools. Among those using 16 or more applications, 23% felt less efficient, struggling with reduced attention spans from constant app-switching. Cassie Holmes, a management professor at UCLA, noted, “Using multiple apps requires additional time to learn them and switch between them, and this lost time is painful because we are so sensitive to wasted time.” Leah Steele, a former lawyer turned coach, now focuses on helping legal professionals navigate burnout, with many feeling overwhelmed by increased workloads tied to AI-based productivity tools. “The biggest thing I’m seeing is this continuous competing demand to do more with less—companies are not considering whether the systems and technology they’re introducing are providing helpful outcomes,” Ms. Steele said.
She highlights that the burnout lawyers face isn’t solely about increased work volume but also how they feel about their jobs. “When we’re looking at burnout, it’s not just about the volume of the work we’re doing, but how we feel about the work and what we’re getting from it,” she explained. “You could feel stressed about being in an environment of high volume and low control, where you initially wanted to engage with clients and make a difference.” The Law Society of England and Wales recognizes the need for improved support from law firm leaders to help lawyers effectively leverage new technologies like AI. Richard Atkinson, the society’s president, stated, “While AI and new technologies can enhance legal work by automating routine tasks, they can also create more work for lawyers, not less.” He noted that learning to navigate these tools requires time, often necessitating training and adjustments to existing workflows.
In summary, white-collar workers are increasingly overwhelmed by the demands of emails, web chats, and meetings, prompting many to turn to AI tools for assistance—even without formal training from their companies. According to a recent work trend index from Microsoft and LinkedIn, 75% of desk workers are already using AI, with adoption nearly doubling in the past six months. The report indicates that most workers utilizing AI tools are doing so independently, without guidance from their employers. “People are overwhelmed with digital debt and under duress at work,” said Colette Stallbaumer, general manager of Microsoft’s chatbot Copilot. The report, based on a survey of 31,000 individuals in desk jobs across 31 countries, reveals that many employees feel overburdened and underprepared for the rapid integration of AI into their roles. As organizations grapple with these challenges, AI will exacerbate Workplace pressures remains a critical question for leaders and employees alike.
