By Hayley Hughes MS, CN, LMHC, CWPC & Katie Hassall MBA, CWPC

Burnout rates have steadily risen for most professions over the past six years 1. This increase is being fueled by a range of factors, from more time spent on screens, less time outdoors to fewer meaningful social interactions, the nonstop news cycle, and countless other daily stressors. It’s no wonder many individuals find themselves in a continuous state of mental overload.

As if all that was not enough, we are also navigating the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI can now do everything from summarizing discussions to building predictive models and so much more. Even so, we are just getting started understanding its full potential and impacts. While these capabilities offer us impressive efficiency gains, they also raise important questions and concerns.

A few years ago, we explored the concept of Human Sustainability. We dug into productivity norms, working hours, and how those are responding to the advances in technology. As we continue to evolve into another new phase of tech-driven work, it is worth examining how these shifts may further shape our experience of burnout and the overall employee experience.

“The question for leaders is no longer whether AI will increase productivity. It already has. The question is whether organizations will evolve their people strategy at the same pace as their technology strategy” 2.

AI x Stress

Stress, when left unchecked, can lead to burnout. It is important to consider the impact AI may have on employees’ stress levels. AI brings promise of ease and efficiency, but it takes initial investment to learn, understand, and utilize effectively. Rethinking workflows and testing new technological capabilities may even create more work for teams in these early stages of adoption.

The power and potential of AI to improve our productivity, pace, and perhaps even quality of work is exciting. We see more organizations today moving from piloting new AI technology to widespread organizational adoption. But change can be challenging. And the fear of AI-job replacement can also stir up feelings of unease and uncertainty that should be acknowledged by leaders.

Employees who use AI daily simultaneously report higher job satisfaction, yet also report up to 20% higher stress levels 2. The reality is that productivity expectations may even be rising right alongside work-output capabilities accelerating with AI. Workload is a significant factor in overall stress and job satisfaction, and it cannot be left unchecked.

AI x Connection

Even before the rapid adoption of AI, we were already concerned about becoming less human and less connected at work, but as things continue to evolve our concerns continue to heighten. As more workplaces adopt AI technology into their day-to-day workflows, the way in which we work is swiftly evolving.

What may seem like an innocent time-saving tool, having AI transcribe meeting notes, draft emails, or edit memos, has started to fundamentally shift our interactions and communications with one another. The more we utilize AI to communicate, we must consider the implications of what our communications begin to lose. If everyone is using AI to draft their communications at work, we are not even communicating with one another anymore.

Human Connection Workplace Index found that 33% of employees rarely or never have conversations with colleagues that go beyond transactional work‑related tasks in a given week, and only 46% of respondents found it easy or somewhat easy to make friends at work 3. Feeling disconnected can be lonely.

Our opportunity is to use the productivity gains from AI advancement to create space for more meaningful interactions at work that foster trust. We need to invest in developing connected, high-performing teams, alongside our investment in workplace technology.

AI x Burnout

AI tools present an opportunity to help reduce burnout and increase productivity, but these benefits are not a guaranteed outcome 3. Research recently published in the Humanities and Social Sciences Communication found that “The more the organization used AI, the more people reported job stress. And the more they reported job stress, the more burnout increased” 4.  An important distinction from this study found that employers who provide clear support, training, and opportunities for feedback were able to reduce the negative effects of working with AI 4.

Employees need to hear clearly from their managers what use cases directly related to their work AI is appropriate for, what compliance looks like, and how to save time while ensuring quality output. Without guidance from their managers employees can feel overwhelmed, lost, and alone in the mandate to become an AI native.

These advances in technology could create a unique opportunity to use AI to better promote health and wellbeing at work, giving people tools to be more efficient. But at the same time, we must work to ensure that those efficiency gains do not further exacerbate burnout rates alongside stress and disconnection.

Here are a few key takeaways and reminders for leaders to consider as AI continues to evolve:

  • Provide clear education to your teams about best practices, norms, and boundaries with using AI.
  • Identify job specific minimum use requirements, recognizing diverse adoption needs and conscientious concerns.
  • Invest in training and development for AI usage. Be specific about how it relates to an employee’s job.
  • Continue to invest in developing employee skillsets and leadership support.
  • Create opportunities for meaningful connection at work.
  • Use the productivity and efficiency gains to give people time to care for themselves and their families.

Interested in learning more about fostering connection or supporting employees with stress and burnout at work? Reach out to Hayley and Katie.

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Citations:

  1. Aflac Incorporated. (2025, October 9). American workforce burnout reaches 7-year high. Aflac Newsroom. https://newsroom.aflac.com/2025-10-09-American-workforce-burnout-reaches-6-year-high
  2. Georghiou, A. (2026, May 12). The AI paradox: Higher productivity, higher stress. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/mena/topics-tools/news/ai-paradox-higher-productivity-higher-stress
  3. Workday, Inc. (2026, May 27). New Workday global research finds AI is easing burnout but may be deepening a connection deficit at work [Press release]. https://investor.workday.com/news-and-events/press-releases/news-details/2026/New-Workday-Global-Research-Finds-AI-is-Easing-Burnout-but-May-Be-Deepening-a-Connection-Deficit-at-Work/default.aspx
  4. Brower, T. (2026, January 12). How AI drives value even as it hurts mental health and wellbeing. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2026/01/12/how-ai-drives-value-even-as-it-hurts-mental-health-and-wellbeing/