Betterworks, a leading performance management software company, has released its 2025 State of Performance Enablement report, titled “AI and the Employee Experience: Balancing Opportunity and Anxiety.” The study uncovers a major shift in the workforce AI is driving unprecedented productivity, yet the employees who use it most are seeking new opportunities elsewhere. The report highlights a crucial challenge for businesses: how to retain top AI-savvy talent while fostering AI adoption across all levels of the organisation.
AI’s Growing Influence in the Workplace
The study, which surveyed more than 2,100 employees and business leaders across the US and UK, reveals a stark talent divide. Employees who have fully embraced AI—often the highest performers—are actively looking for new jobs, while those who are disengaged from AI are staying put. Specifically:
- 78% of AI power users are considering leaving their current jobs, driven by a mix of opportunity and uncertainty.
- 65% of AI-resistant employees plan to stay in their roles, feeling less urgency to upskill.
- Regular AI users are more concerned about job displacement than those who use AI less frequently, creating a paradox where the most engaged employees feel the most vulnerable.
These findings suggest that while AI is enhancing productivity, creativity, and efficiency, it is also fueling workforce instability. Businesses that fail to address this issue risk losing top talent and stalling innovation.
A Leadership Imperative: Closing the AI Adoption Gap
The study also identifies a significant gap in AI adoption between different levels of an organisation:
- Executives are leading AI adoption, with senior leaders being twice as likely as managers and 3.5 times more likely than individual contributors to be AI power users.
- Despite widespread enthusiasm for AI, 50% of AI users fear it could replace their jobs, highlighting concerns that need to be addressed.
- 93% of daily AI users believe they have only scratched the surface of AI’s full potential, demonstrating the need for further training and integration.
As AI reshapes industries, companies must ensure that employees at all levels have access to AI skills and career growth opportunities. Without a clear strategy, organisations risk creating a workforce divided between those who thrive with AI and those left behind.
Creating a Future-Ready Workforce
To address these challenges, Betterworks recommends that companies:
- Democratise AI literacy – Provide training and resources to make AI skills accessible to all employees.
- Leverage AI for career mobility – Use AI tools to help employees identify skill gaps and advancement opportunities.
- Embed AI into performance enablement – Shift AI adoption from experimentation to a core business strategy.
Building a Workplace Where AI and Employees Thrive
AI has the potential to revolutionise industries, improving efficiency, streamlining operations, and opening new avenues for innovation. However, if businesses fail to proactively manage AI’s impact on employees, they risk losing their most forward-thinking talent to competitors that offer better growth opportunities.
By fostering a culture of continuous learning and AI-driven career progression, organisations can ensure they are not just leveraging AI for business success but also creating an environment where employees feel valued, secure, and motivated to stay. The Betterworks 2025 report provides HR leaders with the data and insights needed to harness AI’s potential while ensuring that top talent remains engaged and empowered within their organisations.
