Betterworks2025年全球人力资源研究报告绩效赋能状况AI与员工体验 AI and the Employee Experience Balancing Opportunity and Anxiety

THESTATEOFPERFORMANCEENABLEMENT

AIandtheEmployeeExperience:

BalancingOpportunityandAnxiety

2025GLOBALHRRESEARCHREPORT

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience2

TableofContents

LetterFromtheCEO 3

ExecutiveSummary 5

TOPFINDINGS

1

AIisAcceleratingProductivity,but

StrategicPotentialisStuckinFirstGear

10

2

AILaggardsPlantoStay,While

AISuperstarsLooktoLeave

16

22

AIPowersUp

PerformanceEnablement

5

28

35

FinalThoughts:ShapinganAI-forward,People-firstWorkforce 40

AboutThisReport 41

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TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience3

LetterFromtheCEO

Sincegenerative

AIburstontothe

sceneandbecame

amassivepartofthe

publicconsciousness,we’veseenitgofromanastonishingnew

technologyfullof

hypeandhopetoa

transformativetool

thatourcustomersuse

dailytovastlyimprove

theirperformance

managementprocesses.

Asthemostpowerfulgeneral-purpose

tooleverintroducedtotheworkplace,AIisreshapingindustries,changingtheverynatureofwork,andoferinginnovative

solutionstolong-standingchallenges.

Butwithitsimmenseopportunitiescomesignificanthurdles—chiely,howwe

empowerallemployeestoleverageAI

todriveproductivityandinnovationwhileaddressinganxietiesarounditspower

andpotential.AIcouldemergeasagreatequalizeroragreatdestabilizer.

Leadersmustactdecisivelytoseize

opportunitiesandmitigaterisks.We

mustaskourselves:HowdoweensureAIbenefitseveryemployee,notjusta

selectfew?Howdowereducetherisksofdisengagement,inequity,andskill

obsolescencethatAIcanintroduceandinsteadunlockitspotentialtocreateamoreengagedandagileworkforce?

Betterworkshasexploredthese

questions,whichafecttheveryheartofworkplaceperformance.Thisyear’sStateofPerformanceEnablement

reporthighlightsboththepromiseandtheperilsofthismoment.WhileseniorleadersandearlyadoptersofAIare

seeinggains,manyemployeesremain

Back:TableofContents

LetterFromtheCEO

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience4

uncertain,unprepared,orinadequatelytrained,causingunderutilizationacrossorganizations.Bridgingthisdivideandaccelerating

widespreadadoptioniscrucial.CEOsmust

prioritizeequitableAIlearningandadoption,andHRleadersmustdrivekeycultureshiftsthatfacilitateAI’suseincoreprocesses.

WeviewAInotasareplacementforhumantalentbutasanigniterof

humanpotential.

AIcanliberateemployeesfromrepetitive

tasks,enhancedecision-making,exponentiallyboostproductivity,andcreatespacefor

strategiccontributions.Achievingthisrequiresprioritization,investment,communication,a

sharedvisionacrosstheorganization,anda

structureforembeddingAIintothefabricof

theorganization.CEOsmustleadwithclarity

andconfidence,withHRasastrategicpartner,

toensureAIbecomesatoolforempowermentandalignment—acatalystforenlargingthe

boundariesofwhat’spossible.

AsJamieAitkenandIsharedinourbook,

MakeWorkBetter,thekeytothrivingintoday’sworkplaceliesinaligningyourorganization’s

visionwiththeneedsofyourworkforce.By

reframingmodernperformancemanagementasalaunchpadforemployeepotentialand

creatingsystemsthatenableandempowerteams,leaderscandrivelastingsuccess.

Thisyear’sreportisacallforleadersto

embraceAI,tobereadytoact.Thestakes

arehigh,andweneedtopreparetolead

ourorganizationsintoanAI-enabledfuture,especiallysinceouremployeesareusingAI,whetherwewantthemtoornot.

Iencourageyoutoexplorethesefindings,

engageinboldconversationswithyourteams,andtakeproactivestepstoharnessAI’s

transformativepowerforthebenefitofyouremployeesandyourbusiness.

Together,wecanredefinewhat’spossibleforthefutureofwork.

Sincerely,

DougDennerlineCEO,Betterworks

Back:TableofContents

LetterFromtheCEO

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience5

Back:TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

ExecutiveSummary

SolvingtheAIpuzzle

AIisreshapingthemodernworkplaceat

breakneckspeed,promisingunparalleled

productivitygains—butalsoprovokingdeepuncertainty.Thisyear’sBetterworksStateof

PerformanceManagementreportrevealsa

workforcetornbetweenexcitement,anxiety,

andindiferenceasemployeesgrapplewith

AI’smeteoricascent.Whilesomeworryit

mayrendertheirskillsobsolete,otherssee

AIasthekeytounlockingnewlevelsof

performanceandgrowth.Still,othersseemtobeunawareorunconcernedaboutAI’simpact.Thisfundamentaltensionisreshapinghow

employeesviewtheircareers,theirroles,andtheorganizationstheyworkfor.

AcalltoactionforHRleadersand

organizations

Thedatainthisyear’sresearchshowsthatAI’simpactisanythingbutuniform.Seniorleadersandtech-savvyemployeesarereapingthe

rewards,whilemanyindividualcontributors

findthemselvesonthesidelines.Thisuneven

adoptionisfuelingfrustrationbutalsorisks

wideningthegapbetweenhigh-performing,

AI-savvytalentandthosewhogetleftbehind.

Moreover,high-performingtalentisbecomingmoremobile.Employeeexpectationsare

high,andcompaniesthatfailtoembrace

inclusiveAIstrategiescouldlosetheirbest

talenttocompetitorswhoprioritizeinnovationandskill-building.

TothriveinthisAI-drivenlandscape,

companiesneedacultureshiftthatmakes

AIaccessibleandvaluableforeveryone,notjustaselectfew,andprioritizesbuildingAI“IQ”acrosstheworkforce.BydemocratizingAIaccessandempoweringmanagersas

AIchampions,organizationscanunlockAI’sfullpotential—boostingproductivity,

aligninggoals,andtransformingperformancemanagementfromaroutineprocessintoa

powerfuldriverofgrowthandengagement.

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience6

Keyobservations:

1

AIistransformative,thoughadoptionisuneven:WhileAIisbeing

embracedwidely,itsbenefitsareskewedtowardhigher-levelemployees

andcertainroles,leavingindividualcontributorslaggingandoftenunawareoforapathetictowarditsimport.ThisgapinusageisamissedopportunitytodistributeAI’spotentialacrosstheworkforcetoincreaseefficiency,

productivity,andinnovation.

2

Productivitygainsarenotuniversal:Overall,weseeapatternwhere

seniorleadersarereapingsubstantialproductivitybenefitswhilemanyindividualcontributorslagbehind.ToachieveAI’sfullvalue,companiesneedacultureofacceptanceandmustprovidetrainingandappropriatetoolsacrossallroles.Astrategybuiltonawareness,education,andtherighttoolswillclosethesegapsandenableemployeestoleverageAI’spotential.Organizationsmustfoster—andevenexpect—acultureof

routineAIengagementthatreacheseveryleveloftheorganization.

3

AI’spotentialisunderutilizedforstrategictasks:AIadoptioniscurrentlyfocusedonroutineandoperationaltasks,whileitstransformativepotentialforstrategicandcreativeapplicationsremainslargelyuntapped.By

positioningAIasadriverofhigh-valuework,organizationscanalignemployees’contributionswithboththeircareeraspirationsandthecompany’sgoals.

Back:TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience7

Keyobservations:

4

Familiaritybreedsbothoptimismandanxiety:AsemployeesgrowmorefamiliarwithAI,theyreportbothhighertrustinitsvalueandheightened

anxietyaboutitsimpactonjobsecurity.Thisdualsentimentunderscorestheimportanceoftransparencyandcontinuousupskillingtofostera

supportive,AI-positiveculture.Clear,people-centeredAIstrategieswill

notonlybuildtrustbutalsoreduceturnoverasemployeesseetheirfuturewithinanAI-forwardcompany.

5

Highproductivity—butalsohighchurn:Turnoverintentremainshigh

despiterisingengagementandproductivitylevels.Thisyear’sresearchsuggestsaparticularchallengefororganizationsinretainingtheirtopAI-savvytalent,whomayseekoutcompanieswithastrongercommitmenttoAIinnovation.HighlightingAI’sroleincareerprogressionandaligningitwithcompanyvaluescancreateacompellingreasonforthesehigh

performerstostay.

6

Human-centric,AI-augmentedfuture:Akeylearningfromthisyear’s

surveyisthatAI’struepowerliesnotinreplacinghumanroles,but

inaugmentingthem.BetterworksenvisionsafuturewhereAIboosts

productivityandefficiency,nurturesempathy,supportsbetterdata-drivendecisions,andprovidesmanagerswithconversationaltoolsthatdeepentheirconnectionswithemployees.Byadoptinga“people-first”approach,organizationscanensureAIservesasatoolthatenrichestheemployeeexperienceandunderscoresthevalueofhumaninsight.

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ExecutiveSummary

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience8

Highproductivity—andhighchurn

Activelyseekinganewjob

61%

63%

Alwaysengaged(goingaboveandbeyond)

Veryproductive

(efficientand

productive)

●2023

14%

●2024

29%

2025

60%

69%

74%

67%

14%

AIadoptionissignificantlyhigheratthetopoftheorganization

Individualcontributors

21%

Managers

Executives

72%

31%

DailyuseofAI

GenZ

Millennials

GenX

Boomers

42%

37%

16%

31%

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ExecutiveSummary

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience9

Back:TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

HighenthusiasmamongAIusers

FeelingsaboutAI,byfrequencyofuse

●VerypositiveSomewhatpositiveNeutral.SomewhatnegativeVerynegative

Daily

1%

80%15%4%

Weekly

1%

1%

42%42%14%

Monthly

2%

22%39%31%6%

Rarely

3%

8%28%43%18%

Never

3%10%49%19%19%

Shapingaresilient,AI-drivenworkforce

AsAIcontinuestopermeateeveryaspectof

theworkplace,thedividebetweenthosewhoembraceitandthoseleftbehindgrowsstarker—withlastingconsequencesfororganizationalcompetitiveness.Tobridgethisgap,

companiesmusttreatAIasnotjustatool—

butapathwaytoindividualandorganizationalgrowth.Empoweringemployeesatalllevels,fosteringAIliteracy,andembeddingAIinto

performancemanagementareessentialforenablingorganizationstobuildagile,future-readyworkforces.

AI-infusedperformancemanagementprovidesthestructuretohelpemployeesexcelin

theirworkandpromotegreatermanager

efectivenesswithcapabilitieslikeAI-poweredskillsdetection,feedback,andevaluations.

Likewise,AIdeliversinsightsthatempowerHRleaderstomakestrategicworkforceplanningdecisions—onesthatenableorganizationstobeagileandreadyforwhathappensnext.

Let’sexplorethekeyfindings

fromthisyear’ssurveyfora

deeperlookattheopportunitiesandchallengesthatAIbringstothemodernworkplace.

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience10

FINDING1

AIisAccelerating

Productivity,but

StrategicPotential

isStuckinFirstGear

87%

ofdaily

AIuserssay

theyaremoreproductive

thanksto

generativeAI

93%

sayitstillhasbig

untappedpotential

AIholdsimmensepotentialtoredefineproductivity,yetAI’stransformativecapabilitiesremain

underutilized.Tounlockitsfullvalue,organizationsmustshiftfrommerelyadoptingAItoembeddingitasadriverofstrategicandcreativeimpact.

Back:TableofContents

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FINDING1

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience11

Mostemployeesareonlyscratchingthe

surfaceofAI’scapabilities.While87%oftheemployeeswhousegenerativeAIdailyor

weeklysayitmakesthemmoreproductive,

thevastmajorityuseitforroutine,task-basedwork—leavingitshigher-orderstrategic

andcreativepotentiallargelyunexplored.A

striking93%ofdailyAIusersbelievethere

arewaysAIcouldhelpthematworkthatthey

arenotcurrentlyusing—butmanyareunsurewheretostart.

Thisgapbetweenpotentialandpracticaluseisunsurprising,givenAI’srapidevolution.As

IDCreports

,AIplatformsoftwarerevenue

grew44.4%yearoveryearto$27.9billionin2023andisprojectedtohit$153billionby

2028.Withsomanynewtoolsonthemarket,organizationsandemployeeslikelystruggletoevaluateandapplythemefectively.

TounlockAI’sfullvalue,organizationsneed

toestablishaculturethatprioritizesengagingallemployeesinagileAIexploration—

testingusecases,implementingtheones

thatwork,anddisposingofthosethatdon’t—tobetterunderstandthelandscapeofAItools.ChoosingprovenAIsolutions,trainingemployees,andempoweringmanagersasAIchampionswillamplifythetechnology’s

impactacrossteams,drivingindividualandorganizationalgrowth.

“Gapsarewidening:

Onebetweencompaniesthatstillhaven’t

implementedAItools

andtheearlyadopterswhoareforgingaheadwithexperimentation

anditerativelearning.

Anotheriswithinorganizationswhoseleadersthinktheiremployeesare

bettertrainedthantheemployeessaytheyare.Companieswillquickly

needtoclosethesegapsbymakingAIadoption

animperative.”

CherylJohnson ChiefProduct andTechnologyOfficer,Betterworks

AIusersare

moreproductive

NinetypercentofdailyAIusersreportbeing

veryproductive,versusonly63%ofthosewhodonotuseAI;86%ofdailyAIusersattribute

thisproductivitydirectlytoAI.

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience12

AIdirectly

66%

Yes,speed

AIhasimprovedwork

improveswork

13%

No

48%

Yes,

accuracy

AmongemployeeswhousegenerativeAIdailyorweekly,87%agreethatit

hasimprovedtheirworkalongmultipledimensions.

46%

49%

Yes,quality

Yes,

creativity

AIislargelyunderutilizedbyorganizations

OrganizationsmaynotbeleveragingAI

toitsfullpotential.TopusesofAIinclude

routinetasks,suchasdraftingbusiness

communications(likeemails),dataanalysis,anddocumentdrafting.ManagersaremorelikelytousegenerativeAIacrosstheboard,buteventheyaremostlikelytouseitfor

routine,task-basedwork.

Higher-valuestrategicandcreativeusesof

generativeAIhavenotbeenaswidelyadopted.Forexample,ofthe46%whouseitforstrategictasks,only22%useitforstrategicplanning.

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience13

50%

70%

Routine

Draftingbusinesscommunications,personnel

communications,andemployee

evaluations

Dataanalysisandinsights

Documentdrafting,transcription,or

summarization

Operational

Translationandlocalization

Software/hardwaredevelopment

Customer

relationshipmanagement

46%

Strategic

Researchand

decision-making

Strategicand

workforceplanning

Brainstorming,outlining,andideating

38%

Creative

Writingcreativecontent

Designingvisualcontent

AItasktypes

80%

70%

ManagersIndividualcontributors

Allemployees

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

RoutineOperationalStrategicCreative

Back:TableofContents

FINDING1

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience14

Back:TableofContents

FINDING1

EmployeeoutlooksonAIdependon

thetoolstheycanaccess

Ninetypercentofthosewhohavetheright

toolsarepositiveaboutAI,whereas83%of

thosewhodonothavetherighttoolssay

theyareverynegative.Morethanhalfofall

employeessaytheircompanyprovidesthemwithAItext-generationtoolssuchasChatGPT.

PositivityaboutAI

VerypositiveVerynegative

90%10%

HaveaccesstotherightAItools

17%83%

Don’thaveaccesstotherightAItools

Non-AIusersdon’tknowhowtobestuseAI

Whyaren’tpeopleusingAI?Mostsayit’s

becausetheyaren’treallysurehow—ortheylacktraining.Whileabout1in5saytheydon’ttrustit,only1in6aren’tusingitbecauseitisagainstcompanypolicy.

Whyemployeesdon’tuseAI

33%

Won’thelpmeinmyrole

Don’tknowhowtouseitinmyrole

MistrustAI

23%

GenerativeAI

useisagainst

companypolicy

27%

NottrainedonAI

24%

17%

WiththeoverwhelmingnumberofAItools

comingontothemarketeveryday,itis

challengingforcompaniestoparsereputablevendorsandthemostappropriateandsafe

toolsfortheirworkforce.

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience15

Betterworks’Take

ElevateAIasastrategicimperative:

Yourabilitytoattractandretaintop

talent—andmaintainacompetitive

edge—hingesonefective,equitableAIadoption.MakingAIutilizationa

requirementforcareeradvancement

cancultivateAIluencyandstrong

usagehabits,helpingattractandretaintoptalent.

Providestructureandincentivesfor

widespreadAIadoption:Executives

mayuseAImorefrequentlydueto

anaturalinclinationtowardbeing

“career-forward”andovercoming

challengesthroughreinvention.The

broaderpoolofemployeeslooksto

managementtomodelthewayby

creatingastructurethatencouragesAIuseanddemonstratinghowthesetoolscanbeusedeveryday.

Empowerteamswiththerighttools:Equipindividualcontributorsand

managerswithtargetedAItoolsfortheirrolerequirements.Trainingandtoolselectionmaydiferacrossjoblevelsanddepartmentstoensure

efectivenessandrelevance.

LeverageAItosupportoverburdenedmanagers:Asreportedinour2024

StateofPerformanceEnablement

report,9in10managersfaceheavierworkloads.AIcanrelievepressures

byautomatingroutinetasksand

simplifyingconversations,feedback,

andevaluations,allowingmanagerstofocusonmeaningfulcoaching

andcommunication.

Establishlong-termAIgovernance:

WorkwithITorotherinternal

stakeholderstoimplementgovernancetostandardizeAItoolselection,

prioritizingsolutionswithproven

performanceandsecurity.For

performancemanagement,considersolutionswithastrongtrackrecord

indataprivacyandearlyAIadoption,suchasself-hostedlargelanguage

models(LLMs).

Useperformancemanagementto

driveAIadoption:Withsmallchanges,youcanleverageyourexisting

performancemanagementprocessestoprioritizeAIlearningwithinyour

workforce.Encourageindividuals

tocreateatleastonequarterlygoalrelatedtoAIlearningoradoption,

developfeedbackandperformancequestionsrelatedtoAIadoption,andaddtagsinyourrecognitiontoolstohighlightAIadopters.

Back:TableofContents

FINDING1

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience16

FINDING2

AILaggardsPlantoStay,WhileAISuperstarsLooktoLeave

oflessengagedindividualcontributorsplantostay

ofhighperformersactivelyseeknewcompanies

65%

78%

Thetalentgapisindangerofwidening,asthe

employeeswhoembraceAIandfuelinnovationare

alsotheonesmostlikelytowalkoutthedoor.ThoseleastinterestedinAI—whoseeitasathreatorare

indiferent—areplanningtostay,potentiallyweighingdowntheircompany’sproductivityandprogress.

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TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience17

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FINDING2

Accordingtooursurvey,employeeswhoare

indiferenttoAItendtobemoredisengaged

andstaticintheirroles,withnoplanstoleave

theorganization.Thisgroupalsoshowslower

productivity,lessinterestinupskilling,and

minimalconcernaboutAI’simpactontheirjobs.

Ontheotherhand,high

performers—oftenAI-savvy

employees—areactively

lookingforopportunities

elsewhere,seekingto

leveragetheirAI

expertiseand

stayaheadof

technology’s

rapidevolution.

Thistalentimbalance

presentsasignificant

retentionchallengefor

companieseagertostay

competitiveinarapidlyevolving

landscape,asorganizations

risklosingtheirmostcapable

andforward-thinkingcontributorsto

companiesthatprioritizeAIinnovation.

Thisdividealsorevealsaclearopportunity

forcompaniestofosteranAI-positiveculturethatvaluescontinuousskilldevelopment

andalignsAIproficiencywithcareergrowth.

Otherwise,organizationsmayfindthemselveswithaworkforcethatstagnateswhiletheirtoptalentmoveson.

“Engageemployees

atalllevelstohelpco-

createafutureofwork

poweredbyAI.Foster

innovationbyencouragingexperimentation,asking

employeestoreimaginetheirrolesinanAI-

augmentedworld,andsharinglessonsfrom

successesandfailures.

Recognizeemployeeswhoinvesttime

andthought

leadershipin

drivingchange.”

DavidLandman TalentStrategistand FormerGlobalHRLeader,GoldmanSachs;BetterworksHRAdvisoryCouncil

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience18

Engagementand

productivityarelowerforworkerswhoplantostay

Peoplewhoplantostayintheirjobs

havesignificantlylowerengagementand

productivitycomparedtothosewhoare

activelylookingforwork.Oftheindividual

contributorswhowerelessthanfullyengaged,nearlytwo-thirds(65%)arealsonotactively

lookingfornewroles—representing1in4ofallsurveyrespondents.

Thosewhoarelookingforworkarealsofarlesslikelytosaythattheirrolehasbecomestagnantinthepasttwoyears—88%saidtechnology

haschangedtheirwork,and77%saidtheyhavehadanincreaseinresponsibilities.

Activelylookingforwork

Plantostayin

theircurrentrole

Alwaysgoaboveandbeyond78%

50%

Veryproductive79%

68%

Technologyhaschangedwork88%

58%

Increasedresponsibilities77%

35%

AIuse,positivity,andconcernarelower

amongstayers

Peoplewhoplantostayintheirjobshave

significantlyloweruseofAI,lesspositiveviewsofAI,andlessfearofAIreplacingthem.In

otherwords,theyareincreasinglyoutoftunewiththeopportunitiesofusingAIatworkandthefutureimpactontheirroles.

Astonishingly,almostnonewhoplanto

stayareworriedaboutAItakingtheirjobs,

comparedtojustoverhalfofemployeeswhoarelookingelsewhere.Among“stayers,”fewerthan1in10havea“verypositive”viewofAI.

Back:TableofContents

FINDING2

TheStateofPerformanceEnablement:AIandtheEmployeeExperience19

Back:TableofContents

FINDING2

StayingworkersarelessworriedaboutAI

UseAI(Daily,Weekly,orMonthly)

81%

31%

Yes,worriedAIwilltaketheirjob

51%

2%

StayingworkersarelessAI-savvy

ViewAIverypositively

59%

8%

SeepotentialforAI

83%

34%

Activelylookingforwork

Plantostayin

theircurrentrole

Only1in6stayersseeupskillingasveryimportant

Thesurveyrevealsthat70%ofactiveindividualcontributorjobseekersthinkit’sveryimport