In the wake of a global pandemic, the nature of work is seemingly ever-changing. More people are working from home than ever, and work-life balance is non-negotiable. Whether you work from home, on-site five days a week, if you are a desk worker or a frontline manufacturing worker, it is possible to experience burnout at some point or another.
A recent Gallup poll reported that 76% of employees experience some form of workplace burnout. The poll also reported that 79% of employees responded as not being engaged at work, and that most employees don’t find their work meaningful and do not feel hopeful about their careers. These are harrowing numbers, as burnout not only affects performance and productivity but much more, including engagement, wellbeing, and employee retention.
While employee burnout varies on an individual basis, there are measures that leaders can take. These include working to reduce employee stress levels, removing roadblocks for workers and ensuring that they have the proper tools to complete their tasks. By ensuring workers are a good match skills-wise for the work they are doing, employers can mitigate the potential for burnout. Empowering employees by giving them channels to share their opinions is also key.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Workplace Burnout
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology combined with a worker-centric approach can help tremendously in this respect, accounting for the human element in industrial operations while still taking advantage of innovations.
The seemingly sudden advent of AI tools like ChatGPT and natural language processing has created a surge in interest in all things AI and while it cannot address burnout for all workers, AI has the potential to be extremely effective in helping workers get access to the information and support they need while on the job. AI can also predict, detect, and reduce workplace burnout by providing a support system for frontline manufacturing workers. By taking highly granular connected worker data and using AI to filter it, industrial operations organizations can use AI to engage and empower employees.
By using AI in conjunction with their own data, companies can create communication touchpoints for their employees. AI coupled with connected worker platforms can also help with the training needed by these manufacturing employees. AI can pair workers and tasks based on skill levels, suggest needed training, identify high and low levels of engagement. These tools can also create feedback channels for employees to share their opinions on processes, procedures and protocols.
To complement AI and software platforms, organizations can implement other tools such as wearable devices, mental health applications and more to aid in engagement efforts. Finding the right balance and combination is key for knowledge exchange and conversation—making employees more engaged within the team.
Finding a balance between technology integration and a worker-centered approach is crucial, and it is paramount that the true needs of the workforce are not forgotten. Technology cannot replace how workers feel and how they interact with management on a day-to-day basis. For frontline manufacturing workers, AI is a powerful tool to augment employees and should be used to empower them and improve their daily work lives.
