Workload is the blind spot in AI-driven work
New employee experience research shows 36% of employees do not feel able to cope with their workload, pointing to sustained pressure at work.
The push for productivity meets the reality of work
AI adoption is accelerating across workplaces, but work is not getting lighter. While organisations track productivity, engagement and efficiency, pressure inside roles remains high and in many cases is intensifying.
New research from People Insight shows that 36% of employees do not feel able to cope with their workload, despite years of investment in digital tools designed to improve efficiency and capacity.
The findings highlight a persistent disconnect. Organisations measure outputs. Employees experience volume, pace and competing demands. Workload is where that gap becomes most visible.
Productivity gains without relief
People Insight’s Employee Experience Trends 2026 report, and its benchmark data from millions of employee survey responses, suggests that pressure is being absorbed rather than addressed.
Only 64% of employees say they can cope with their workload. Engagement remains relatively strong at 79%, broadly unchanged year on year, but open workplace communication has fallen sharply, from 60% to 53% in just twelve months.
Senior leadership scores are also mixed:
- 63% of employees say leaders provide a clear sense of direction
- 61% feel leaders genuinely make the effort to listen
- 63% say they have opportunities to learn and grow at work
The picture that emerges is not one of disengagement, but of sustained strain.
When technology speeds up work, not jobs
Workload is not a new issue, but its persistence alongside today's rapid tech adoption is telling. Productivity gains may be real, but they are not translating into relief. For many organisations, AI is increasing how much work can be done, faster, without reducing how much work people are expected to absorb.
This is where workload becomes more revealing than efficiency metrics. When capacity expands but roles are not redesigned and priorities are not reset, work accumulates. Expectations stretch, and pressure settles into day-to-day roles.
The report shows workload, role design and the ongoing skills shift as a defining employee experience challenge. As tasks change and tools are introduced, employees take on more responsibility. Skills development continues, but it does not offset pressure when the job itself keeps expanding.
Pressure shows up in trust
Learning indicators are relatively positive, with 63% of employees saying they have opportunities to develop. But learning alone does not reduce workload when capacity gains are treated as more headroom.
Pressure also shows up in trust. Only 61% of employees feel senior leaders genuinely make the effort to listen. Where workload persists, confidence that it is being understood erodes.
Tom Debenham, founder of People Insight, said: ‘When people consistently feel overloaded, it affects everything, from wellbeing and engagement through to trust in leadership and long-term commitment. Organisations cannot afford to treat workload as a side issue.’
Workload is a signal
The issue is not that employees are failing to cope. It is that organisations are failing to manage faster, more complex work. Technology increases throughput. Without deliberate decisions about role design, priorities and limits, the result is pressure, not progress.
As investment in AI continues, workload may be the clearest indicator of whether those investments are creating value or simply accelerating activity.
Download the report
People Insight: Employee Experience Trends 2026
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