AI and your workforce: stressor or support?

What psychometric profiling can tell us about AI readiness.

Unsurprisingly, AI is being cited as a major source of stress for workers today – and much of that comes down to how it’s being discussed in the media and implemented in the workplace. Headlines often portray AI as “coming for your job,” and the natural human reaction to something new and potentially unknown is to view it as a threat. This instinctive “lizard brain” response isn’t something we can switch off; our first, human, reaction to unexpected change is usually fear, until we understand what it really means for us. And when fear dominates, connection suffers - colleagues become more guarded, less collaborative, and trust begins to erode.

And that matters in the context of the workplace. Employees are already overwhelmed with information and interruptions. The average worker is interrupted every two minutes by a meeting, email, or message during core hours, and receives around 153 Teams messages a day (Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2025). Our brains simply aren’t wired for this level of constant focus switching. When AI is introduced on top of already high levels of noise, it can easily feel like another burden rather than a benefit.

The pace of change is creating stress 

The gap between leadership expectations and employee confidence is stark. CEOs predicted a 17% productivity uplift from AI over the course of the coming year, yet only 8% of employees reported using generative AI to improve their output (Gartner, 2025). Those numbers just don’t stack up, with the appetite for AI innovation clearly much higher at the top than it is across the broader working population.
 
Perhaps this is to be expected, given that individuals who gravitate towards C-suite positions often have traits that make them more experimental or open to change – traits our Personality assessment (HPTI) aligns with the ability to take strategic risks, make bold, innovative decisions, and operate without full information.

Many frontline employees succeed because they value stability and structure, which makes rapid change feel more like a stressor than an opportunity. Instead of empowering employees, poorly implemented tools are starting to add friction, raising questions about workload, ethics, and job security. That friction doesn’t just slow productivity, it weakens connection between leaders and employees, making trust harder to build.

And then there’s the time cost. Leaders see AI as a lever for output; but employees often use it as ‘breathing space’ – a chance to catch up in a high-pressure environment (Gartner, 2025). This difference in perspective underlines why adoption has been patchy: top-down implementation without guidance feels out of touch with day-to-day realities.

Behaviour profiles matter in AI adoption

Not all employees approach AI in the same way. Recent Thomas research into AI readiness shows that behavioural traits are stronger predictors of openness to adoption than aptitude, age, or gender (Thomas, 2025). 

• Those high in Dominance – direct, assertive, results driven – tend to be more open to AI, show greater understanding of it, and believe more strongly in its potential to improve their work.
• By contrast, those high in Steadiness (patient, stability seeking) and Compliance (detail-orientated and rule-focused) tend to be less open to AI and less convinced it will improve outcomes.
• Meanwhile, aptitude showed no link to overall readiness, though higher aptitude was associated with more awareness of AI’s risks. 

Implementation must be handled carefully 

This makes blanket, top-down adoption a questionable tactic. For some profiles, pressure only increases resistance. A more measured, supportive approach is needed – one that builds confidence gradually and makes space for concerns while taking a human-first approach. In fact, organisations that do so are already seeing a major improvement in performance, with employees 1.5 times more likely to become high performers and 2.3 times more likely to be engaged with their work (Gartner, 2025).  

Reframing AI as a partner rather than a threat is key. Teams that actively use AI not only perform better, but also show stronger innovation, improved balance, and even higher emotional and social connection (Harvard Business School, Wharton, Procter & Gamble, 2024). When people feel confident, supported and included, AI has potential to help us ease pressure, reconnect people with meaningful work, and strengthen the bonds that drive lasting engagement. In other words, AI isn’t just a technology decision – it can have lasting implications for the cultural health of your business. How you introduce and manage it will shape whether it drives your people apart, or brings them closer together.