MOO, the leading design company specializing in premium branded merchandise and print services, has officially published the results from its latest report, which discovered that more and more workers now crave deeper human connection in the face of burgeoning AI adoption.
Going by the available details, this particular study took into account the opinion of 1,000 U.S. knowledge workers, eventually discovering workplace loneliness is very much on the up, as employees practice “cognitive outsourcing.”
To back that up with numbers, nearly two-thirds (65%) of knowledge workers are now engaging in “cognitive outsourcing.” This involves turning to technology for a query before asking a coworker, signaling a growing comfort with AI tools.
Out of that, Millennials were found to be the leaders in cognitive outsourcing, with 71% preferring to turn to AI first, as compared to just 51% of Baby Boomers and Gen Z.
Having said so, we must also dig into a piece of fact that, even though 62% of knowledge workers are being encouraged to use AI in their roles, not everyone is comfortable with its widespread adoption.
In fact, 28% go on to they are irritated by colleagues who rely on AI tools like ChatGPT for everything, an issue more evident among Millennials than any age group. You see, Millennials were found to be twice as likely as Baby Boomers in the context of dealing with this issue (32% vs. 16%).
Another detail worth a mention relates to how an estimated 79% of knowledge workers say they feel isolated at work, especially for younger generations, with 89% of Gen Z and 82% of Millennials reporting loneliness.
Then, there is the contingent of 84% employees, who were urged to use AI at work, went on to experience loneliness. Moving on, an estimated 60% of knowledge workers were found to think it’s likely that AI will replace some of their colleagues.
MOO’s survey further got to know that, from the ones always lonely at work (40%) are much more likely to describe their company culture as stressful or overwhelming than those who are never lonely at work (14%).
Turning our attention towards a facet of the report focused on uncovering the human and physical tools’ value, it talks to how more than 46% of respondents said their recall is the best when taking their own notes, whereas on the other hand, no more than 23% said their recall is better with AI transcription tools.
Taking a generation-focused stock of things, over a third (36%) Gen Z revealed their ability to recall information is better when they use AI transcription tools, compared to 1 in 12 (8%) Baby Boomers surveyed who said the same.
MOO’s survey also revealed tool preferences of users, discovering that knowledge workers rated physical tools like sticky notes (51%) and handwritten notes or journals (48%) almost equal to AI assistants or writing tools (43%). The research in question was further made to accommodate a lowdown associated with onboarding process and the role it plays in setting the tone for wider workplace experience.
You see, only around half (52%) of knowledge workers surveyed they were properly onboarded at the beginning of their job, and out of that lot, 59% said expectations were unclear.
Almost like an extension of it, the research cited excessive reliance on digital tools as a reason for poor onboarding. In this regard, 39% of knowledge workers said they preferred training through interactive digital tools, but 32% still favor learning from a coworker. Gen Z, in particular, said they would rather go for digital training (46%), whereas on the other hand, Baby Boomers prefer hands-on guidance (49%).
The said onboarding was also affected by the way only half onboarding processes included an overview of performance expectations (49%) and an introduction to company culture and values (48%).
“AI is transforming the way we work and increasing automation, but it’s connection, creativity, and culture that remain at the heart of thriving organizations,” said Claire Donald, Chief Product and Technology Officer at MOO. “As companies adopt new tools, they must also prioritize human interaction—those day-to-day meetings and opportunities to collaborate that foster a sense of belonging and spark innovation across teams.”
