• Only 27 percent of office workers worldwide say they have a healthy relationship with work, compared to just 21 percent in Germany
• 75 percent of managers worldwide believe that AI will make their work easier - compared to 64 percent in Germany
• 55 percent of office workers globally believe that AI will open up new opportunities for them to enjoy their work; in comparison: Only 40 percent in Germany are of this opinion
• Managers must educate their employees about the possibilities of AI and take the lead in the effective introduction of AI

The world's relationship with work is tense: AI can provide support

Dave Shull, President of HP Workforce Solutions, HP Inc. said: "AI presents a huge opportunity to change our work dynamics - and create a more positive and productive environment for everyone. To drive understanding and adoption of AI - and ensure employees know how to take advantage of the benefits - leaders must take the initiative to educate employees about the potential of AI and drive effective integration."

© HP Inc.

At the HP Amplify Partner Conference, HP presented new findings based on its HP Work Relationship Index. The study examines people's relationship to their work worldwide. The study surveyed more than 15,600 people in twelve countries. One finding: the world's relationship with work is strained and employee expectations are rising - artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as the key to better work relationships.

In today's global workplace, the relationship between people and their work is strained: Only 27 percent of office workers worldwide report a healthy working relationship. In Germany, this relationship is even worse at 21 percent. At the same time, office workers' expectations of their relationship with work have risen: 58% worldwide stated that their expectations have risen in the last three years - in Germany, this figure is 52%. This is particularly pronounced in emerging economies (71 percent), compared to 50 percent of employees in mature economies.

Employees understand the potential of AI to promote a healthier relationship with work - especially managers and IT decision-makers. For 54% of office workers and 72% of managers worldwide, AI plays an important role in improving their work-life balance. In Germany, the assessment is somewhat more restrained: Here, 44 percent of office workers and 66 percent of managers believe that AI has a positive impact on their work-life balance. To a similar extent, employees believe that AI can streamline tasks and make their work easier (business executives 75%, office workers 58%).

In emerging economies, 76% of office workers believe that AI can make their work "easier" and 75% "more interesting" (compared to 48% and 44% respectively in mature economies). At 49% and 46% respectively, Germany is slightly above the average for mature economies, but well below the figures for emerging economies.

Managers must lead AI integration

The divide between executives, ITDMs and office workers shows that leaders need to effectively communicate the benefits of AI - and educate their employees on how they can integrate AI into their work processes with the goal of achieving better business outcomes. At the same time, this will strengthen each employee's relationship with their work. The survey shows that there is still uncertainty about how best to deploy and fully utilize AI:

• Almost 2 in 5 (42 percent) of respondents worldwide, as well as in Germany, are unsure about when to use AI in the workplace.
• 41 percent of respondents worldwide do not feel sufficiently equipped to exploit the potential of AI in their role. In Germany, this figure is as high as 44 percent.
• 73% of managers and 66% of office workers worldwide are in favor of appropriate AI training. In comparison, Germany is below these figures with 69 percent of managers and 62 percent of office workers.

However, the general feedback is a clear call for companies to prioritize training initiatives to support their employees in the use of AI technologies.

About the methodology of the HP Work Relationship Index

HP commissioned Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI) to conduct an online survey in twelve countries between June 9 and July 10, 2023. These included the USA, France, India, the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Indonesia. HP surveyed a total of 15,624 people - 12,012 office workers (~1,000 in each country), 3,612 IT decision makers (~300 in each country) and 1,204 executives (~100 in each country).

The Work Relationship Index "AI in the Workplace" is available here.