When employees say they have the opportunity to innovate, they are 82% more likely to be enthusiastic about using AI.
For global companies, the ability to innovate and adapt to the rise of generative AI presents a crucial challenge for leaders across all sectors.
While 81% of companies see AI as a key lever for reinventing themselves, according to Accenture’s 2024 report, that doesn’t mean employees agree with their leaders. According to a Great Place To Work® survey of nearly 43,000 employees, only 51% of employees are excited about using AI to improve their work, while only 45% believe their companies can use AI to benefit them.
Companies where employees have high levels of trust in their leaders will be at an advantage, rather than those where employee trust is low. When employees trust their leaders, they are much more likely to innovate and grow.
Great Place To Work® has found that when employees trust their leaders, they are four times more likely to say they have had many significant opportunities to be a part of innovation.
Experiences that build trust
The experiences that give employees greater trust in their leaders are the same experiences that distinguish the workplaces on the World’s Best Workplaces™ list from the average workplace.
Depending on where you live in the world, different experiences influence your likelihood of trusting your leaders.
In Asia, the biggest differentiator was when employees felt their leaders cared about them as more than just employees. When employees felt their leaders cared about their contributions to the company, as well as their goals and aspirations outside of work, they had 42% more trust in their leaders.
In Europe, having leaders who adhere to core company values and respect business ethics increased the likelihood of employees trusting their leaders by 107%. In Latin America, clear expectations from management increased the likelihood of employees trusting their leaders by 60%. In the United States and Canada, fair promotion practices increased the likelihood of employees trusting their leaders by 59%. Fair promotions also increased the likelihood of employees trusting their leaders by 67% in Africa.
Because of all this experience, companies on the World’s Best Workplaces list significantly outperform standard workplaces.
In companies on the list, 55% more employees said their leaders cared about them beyond their value as employees, and 48% more employees said their leaders embraced their company’s values, compared to a standard workplace.
While less than half of employees in a typical workplace say promotions are given fairly, this figure is 60% at the World’s Best Workplaces.
Excitement for AI grows when employees are involved in innovation.
Experiences that empower employees to be part of innovation are invaluable to companies trying to quickly adapt to new technologies like generative AI.
When employees are provided with training in AI, they are more likely to be excited about using AI tools. When you simply introduce them to the risks and benefits of AI, they are three times more likely to be excited about using AI in their roles.
Great workplaces foster a culture of innovation that provides open learning opportunities for all employees and encourages the entire workforce to contribute ideas that will improve the company’s performance and success . When employees say they have numerous meaningful opportunities to be innovative, they are 82% more likely to be excited about using AI.
Employee enthusiasm can make a big difference in how companies overcome the challenges they face when adopting new AI tools. Companies featured on the World’s Best Workplaces list offer clear examples of how to engage employees with AI.
Salesforce, ranked 10th on the list, offers employees access to a variety of learning modules on the Trailhead platform, including sessions on “AI for Business,” “Building AI Responsibly,” and “AI for Customer Service.” The company also created an internal task force to have “one million AI conversations” with customers, emphasizing the importance of every employee being knowledgeable and engaged on the topic.
At ServiceNow, ranked 21st on the list, employees can use a learning platform called “frED” to learn about a variety of topics, including artificial intelligence. Built on the ServiceNow platform and powered by AI analytics, nearly half a dozen teams were directly involved in its development, providing crucial feedback for a successful launch. More than 65% of employees used frED within the first four weeks of launch.
Artificial intelligence and ESG
Projects that enable employees to be innovative and develop their AI skills can also have a strong impact on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) perception within the company.
Great Place To Work® found that when employees reported being trained to use AI tools, they were 47% more likely to feel their company made decisions that benefited the environment and 27% more likely to say their company’s decisions benefited society.
At Accenture, which ranked 6th on the list, employees are invited to participate widely in innovation events and challenges like the “Sustainability Innovation Challenge.” Employees from across the organization competed with tools like Mangrovera.ai, developed by a team in India, which helps researchers restore and protect mangrove forests using AI pattern recognition software.
Trusted leaders unlock innovation and improve business performance. They’re also a crucial piece of the puzzle surrounding AI adoption and the future of work
