The overarching theme uniting all the many, many talking points covered in Paris during this year’s UNLEASH World was both a simple and complex one: Change.

Google’s Senior Director, People Experience, Ola Fadipe detailed how a responsible and human-centric approach is shaping the future of work, both at the tech giant and beyond.

“I want to say with confidence that this is a really exciting moment to be in this space,” Fadipe told audience members.

“With the acceleration of AI, I believe that we sit at a pivotal inflection point between technology and people and culture – quite possibly one of the most important inflection points.”

Fadipe highlighted that daily life, both inside and outside the professional sphere, is being shaped and influenced by ongoing environmental, technological, demographic and geopolitical change. 

That’s all on the back of a worldwide pandemic; you may have heard of it.

As Fadipe said, we are living in “an unpredictable and constantly changing time”. While they say that change is the only constant, it’s the sheer volume of it that is different. And, as a result, we will all need to shift and adapt our expectations going forward.

As leaders in the space of people of culture, we have an acute responsibility to support our organizations through these forces of change and their impact,” Fadipe stated. 

It’s one thing for HR leaders to be aware of change and another to respond, let alone predict, it.

It’s another kettle of fish entirely for employees to do so.

People don’t like change, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen

Futurist Amy Webb took to the Main Stage to send out a warning to HR leaders that change is coming their way, and strategic foresight will help to plan and build resilience for technology-led upheaval.

Webb highlighted that people are biologically hard-wired to fear change, regardless of what form that change may take – the hormones produced when we were still living in caves and trying to outrun wild animals are the same as when we see particularly distressing emails arrive.

“We don’t need it as much today, but when we’re faced with uncertainty, that hormone fires up and it doesn’t physically feel good,” Webb explained.

We are literally wired to fight against change, to try to preserve the status quo at all costs. The problem is whether or not we want it to, the future always shows up.”

Of course, AI is a major factor in workplace change right now and as investment increases in this technology, that prominence will only grow in step.

It’s also one way that employers are seeking to adjust to change, by handing their employees new AI-based tools to improve productivity, develop new skills and drive efficiencies.

Zurich and Schneider Electric are just two examples of employers that have built their own AI-powered chatbots for employees, with UNLEASH World speakers citing that this is both a method of achieving strategic objectives and acclimatizing workers to Gen AI in the workplace.

While the logic behind these moves is sound, it’s still very early into the lifespan of this particular iteration of Gen AI-powered tools – judging the impact on employee experience simply isn’t going to be possible yet, at least to insightful degrees at scale.

But employers will face an uphill battle to convince workers to move to company-built or sanctioned Gen AI tools, at least if research into the ongoing use of ‘Shadow AI’ in the workplace is anything to go by.

Will employees see a positive impact of change?

What this all tells us then is that organizations will (almost) always promote the positives of change – as long as it’s in the company’s interests, of course.

The impact of these changes on the frontlines is a very different story and there is going to be pushback from employees who feel that the established working patterns and trusted tools they rely on are being swept away in favor The Shiny New Thing™.

That doesn’t mean the benefits aren’t there to be realized, however. The resistance to change that Webb spoke about in Paris can be overcome and redirected.

It was a subject that Anabel Fall, Chief People Officer at the Zühlke Group, delved into on stage at UNLEASH World.

She emphasized the importance of understanding AI’s role rather than fearing it, while highlighting its potential to enhance not just efficiency but also job satisfaction.

One specific part of her session on the changing world of work stood out to me, because it’s something I hadn’t heard HR leaders talking about before. 

Fall highlighted that people need space to reflect on what they’re doing, they need time and space to absorb information and process it – even through doing other tasks.

Organizations that adopt AI and realize efficiencies gains by doing so should be mindful of another benefit this can have for employee experience, she advocated.

That’s the one thing that I encourage you as a HR participant, as people leaders…how do you create the right balance and ensure that people can focus on what they have done but also give them meaning.”

In principle this is a wonderful thought; more time to reflect on actions and objectives for employees can lead directly to improved wellbeing, both mental and physical, increased capacity for learning and development, and a generally calmer and more appreciative view on their workload.

But I do have to question if it’s too idealistic to ever happen. HR leaders no doubt have the interests of employees in mind, but we also know that there will also be conflict with the twin strategic pillars of Efficiency and Productivity.

HR leaders will need to be able to sheer clear, irrefutable evidence that AI – as just one example of the now constant state of change – is having a positive impact on employee experience that directly feeds into improved business performance. 

Otherwise, it’s far too likely that it will just be another factor on the pile for workers who are already at the edges of tolerance with a world that looks and feels different every time they start a new day.