AI in the Workplace: Preparing Your Team (and Your Culture) for the Next Shift

Your latest quarterly report reveals productivity gains, but turnover rates climb. Skills gaps widen. Your competitors move faster. Sound familiar?

AI isn’t coming to your workplace. It’s here. The question isn’t whether you’ll adopt it, but how. Smart employers know that technology alone won’t solve their biggest challenges: its also about finding the right talent and keeping them engaged.

That’s where Generation comes in. We help employers build future-ready workforces that thrive alongside AI, not despite it.

The State of AI in the Workplace: Hype vs. Reality

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: when it comes to AI most companies are flying blind.

McKinsey’s latest research reveals that while almost all companies invest in AI, only 1% believe they’ve reached AI maturity. Think about that. Billions spent. Countless hours invested. Yet 99% of organizations still struggle to unlock AI’s full potential.

Why? Because they focus on the technology and forget the people.

You’re not alone if this feels overwhelming. The pace of change is relentless. New tools launch weekly. Your team asks questions you can’t answer. Meanwhile, your competitors seem to have it all figured out (spoiler alert: they don’t).

The real challenge isn’t adopting AI—it’s bridging the gap between what the technology can do and what your workforce can deliver.

The Human Factor: Why Culture and Skills Drive AI Success

Here’s what most leaders miss: AI amplifies culture.

A toxic culture with AI tools becomes a more efficient toxic culture. But a learning culture with AI? That’s where transformation happens. Your people become more creative, more strategic, more human.

This might sound counterintuitive, but AI can strengthen human connections. When machines handle routine tasks, your team has more time for collaboration, innovation, and meaningful work. The result? Higher engagement and better retention.

Technology is the vehicle. Your people are the drivers.

What Entry-Level Workers Really Think About AI

While executives debate AI’s future, entry-level workers are already living it. Generation’s latest research surveyed 5,549 recent graduates across 17 countries and 40 professions. The results might surprise you. 

65% are already using AI at work. More striking? 52% adopted it on their own. They didn’t wait for company training or mandates. These self-taught power users report that AI improved both their job performance (94%) and their enjoyment of work (91%). 

But there’s a catch. Among the 35% not using AI, 72% want to learn. They’re held back by lack of training, unclear use cases, and limited time to experiment. This represents untapped potential in your workforce. 

Assessing Your Team’s AI Readiness

But before you buy another AI tool, ask yourself: Is your team ready?

Start with an honest assessment. Look at three areas: skills, mindsest, and processes. Your current capabilities matter more than the latest software.

Research from Multiverse found that 48% of leaders say their business has significant skills gaps. But here’s the twist: the biggest gaps aren’t always where you think they are.

Generation’s Age-Proofing AI report reveals a striking pattern: only 15% of workers over 45 use AI at work, but those who do are often self-taught power users. They bring something younger workers lack—context, judgment, and the ability to spot patterns that matter.

Your readiness assessment should identify these hidden champions. Who asks thoughtful questions? Who adapts quickly to change? Who connects dots others miss? These are your future AI leaders.

Building a Culture That Embraces AI

Culture change doesn’t happen overnight. It happens one conversation, one training session, one success story at a time.

Start with a hub-and-spoke model. Identify AI champions across departments—not just your tech team. Give them authority to experiment, fail, and share what they learn. These champions become your change agents, translating AI possibilities into practical applications.

Set clear guardrails, not roadblocks. Your team needs to know what’s safe to try and what’s off-limits. Only 21% of businesses have established workplace policies for generative AI. Don’t be part of the 79% stumbling forward.

Here’s where it gets interesting: IBM found that organizations deploying AI at an operational level outperformed peers by 44% on employee retention and revenue growth. The secret? They focused on empowering people, not replacing them.

But there’s a hidden bias working against you. Generation’s research also uncovered a troubling trend: 90% of hiring managers consider candidates under 35 for AI-related roles, compared to only 32% for those over 60.

This bias costs you talent. Experienced workers bring judgment, context, and problem-solving skills that complement AI beautifully. Smart employers cultivate multigenerational teams and tap into this overlooked resource.

Related to this topic:
Hiring for Potential, Not Pedigree: A Guide to Skills-Based Hiring

Upskilling and Empowering Your People

Your people crave learning. The question is: are you feeding that hunger?

83% of businesses are moving quickly to implement AI workforce skills development. But speed without strategy leads to waste.

Build learning into daily routines, not just one-off workshops. Microlearning works. Peer mentoring works. Real projects with AI tools work. Death by PowerPoint doesn’t.

Here’s what might surprise you: Generation’s research found that midcareer and older workers who use AI are often power users. They report higher job satisfaction, better work quality, and increased productivity.

Why? Experience teaches you what questions to ask. When you combine that wisdom with AI’s power, you get better outcomes faster.

The most effective upskilling programs pair experienced workers with AI tools, creating mentorship opportunities that benefit everyone. Your 25-year-old developer learns business context. Your 50-year-old manager learns new technology. Both become more valuable.

Generation’s programs focus on this sweet spot—combining human expertise with cutting-edge skills to create workforce resilience that lasts.

Measuring Impact and Sharing Success

What gets measured gets managed. What gets celebrated gets repeated.

Track the metrics that matter: productivity gains, employee satisfaction, retention rates, and innovation frequency. But don’t stop there. Measure the human impact too. Are your people more engaged? Do they feel more confident? Are they solving problems they couldn’t tackle before?

Share your wins and your failures. Transparency builds trust. When your team sees that experimentation is safe, they’ll take more risks and discover more opportunities.

Predictive maintenance with AI can reduce downtime by up to 50%. But the real value isn’t in the technology—it’s in the confidence your team gains when they see their efforts create measurable results.

Create feedback loops. Monthly check-ins work better than quarterly reviews. Quick wins build momentum for bigger changes.

The Future Is Human + AI

Technology changes fast. Human potential is timeless.

The organizations that thrive in the AI era won’t be those with the best algorithms. They’ll be those with the best people, supported by the right culture, equipped with the right tools and skills.

Your team is ready for this shift. They just need the right partner to guide them through it.

Let Generation help you prepare for what comes next. Because the future isn’t about choosing between humans and AI—it’s about combining them to create something neither could achieve alone.

The next shift is here. Your people have the potential. Let’s help them realize it.  

More articles