Open communication vital to ease AI anxiety among Irish workers

Managers need to talk openly with staff as just 30% of Irish workers believe their role is safe from AI or automation over the next decade

Colm Power, managing director of people specialists NFP Ireland, an Aon company of consultative advisors and problem solvers.

Employers need to communicate openly with their workforce about the ways in which AI will impact upon their roles going forward.

Colm Power, managing director of people specialists NFP Ireland, says that AI anxiety is clearly on the rise in Ireland, particularly among younger people.

NFP, an Aon company, is an organisation of consultative advisors and problem solvers, advising companies and individuals on risks, workforce, wealth management and retirement challenges.

A new NFP Ireland nationwide survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by IReach, examined how workers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation to affect their jobs in the years ahead.

Topline findings included that just 30% of Irish workers believe their role is safe from AI or automation over the next decade, while 23% say large parts of their job are likely to disappear. Almost 10% believe their role will not exist in its current form.

The responses varied depending on age, experience, sector, geography and other factors.

In this Q&A interview, Colm Power explains what the survey responses say about people’s concerns for their own job security and outlines some possible actions open to employers and employees alike.

What does the NFP Ireland survey say about people's sense of job security?

There’s a lot of uncertainty out there. Only three in ten workers feel confident their role is completely safe from AI or automation over the next ten years, but for most people, some level of change feels inevitable. Nearly a quarter believe large chunks of their job could disappear altogether, and worryingly, almost one in ten think their role might not exist in its current form at all within a decade.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Four out of every ten workers we asked took a more balanced view – this group expect certain tasks to become automated, but they don't think their job as a whole is under threat. And that's probably the most realistic way to look at it. AI is going to change how many of us work, and while we don’t fully know yet to what extent, it’s likely roles will be reshaped rather than replaced. The tasks that get automated tend to be the repetitive, process-driven ones, while the parts of a job that involve judgement, relationships and decision-making are much harder to hand over to a machine. 

But a key point is that people are concerned and that needs to be addressed. Job satisfaction is tightly linked to job security and if people are feeling threatened, then this is going to have negative knock-on ramifications throughout an organisation or even an entire industry.

Is it important for employers to communicate with their staff's concerns around AI?

Definitely.

I don’t think employers can or should underestimate just how important it is right now. AI anxiety is common in many workplaces and particularly for people in roles that they believe could soon be overtaken by AI.

If people don't understand how AI is going to affect their day-to-day work, they'll naturally fill that gap with worry, and like in many aspects of life – the anticipatory worry is often worse than the actual reality.

We're seeing that employers who bring their employees into the conversation early, before rolling out any new tools and systems, end up with much more positive outcomes.

Keep it simple - be upfront, truthful and transparent - here's what's changing, here's why, and this is what it means for you. Employers who invest in proper upskilling alongside that communication are the ones who'll come out ahead.

Change in any form can be good & daunting in equal measure. Employers must bear this in mind as we all navigate the uncharted waters of AI.

 Why do you believe older workers feel more secure about their skills?

I think it comes down to experience, and the type of experience that's hard to automate. Older workers have generally built up specialist knowledge over many years, they often carry leadership or people-management responsibilities, and they've built relationships and judgement that just can't be replicated by a tool, no matter how good it is.

Younger workers are in a different position. They're often still in the early stages of their career, doing the kind of entry-level, administrative or process-driven work that tends to be exactly the type of task that gets automated first. Those junior roles have traditionally been how younger workers “cut their teeth” in a particular industry. If those stepping-stone jobs become fewer, it's completely understandable that younger workers feel less secure about where that leaves them.

What advice do you have for people on engaging with automation?

First don’t panic – it won’t get you anywhere. I know it can be easier said than done but try to step back and assess the situation before making any rash decisions or catastrophising about what’s to come. Knowledge is power. Ask questions - whether that’s to your employer, your colleagues, or to other people in your industry. You need to understand if and how AI fits into your working life. If your workplace is introducing AI tools then I would advise getting on board early and figuring out how it can actually make parts of your job easier.

It's also worth thinking about the skills you have that are genuinely hard to automate - things like communication, problem-solving, creativity and building relationships with people. Nurture these skills too and invest time in them – whether it’s through training your employer offers or just being deliberate about developing them yourself. Try to see and to use automation as something that can take the repetitive tasks off your plate, freeing you up to focus on the parts of your job that are more interesting and more valuable. Use it as a tool in your armoury – be clever about it.