New research from Workday shows that companies are missing out on a large portion of the potential AI gains by correcting and not investing enough in skills.
According to the Workday report Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI, nearly 40 percent of the time saved by AI worldwide is lost to correcting errors, rewriting content, and verifying output. In the Benelux, employees spend an average of one to two hours per week on this rework. Although 85 percent of employees indicate that they save up to seven hours per week with AI, this gain does not automatically translate into better results.
Pressure on intensive users and younger employees
Daily AI users are optimistic about the technology but check AI output remarkably strictly: 77 percent say they check the work just as thoroughly or more thoroughly than that of colleagues. Employees between 25 and 34 years old, in particular, appear to be heavily burdened, with almost half of the rework on their shoulders.
Gap between leaders and employees
Workday also sees a difference between promises and practice. In the Benelux, 72 percent of managers say they want to reinvest AI time in training, while only 48 percent of employees actually experience this. In addition, in 89 percent of companies, less than half of the functions are adapted to AI capabilities.
Companies that do achieve returns use AI time more often for analysis, decision-making, and strategic work. According to Workday, the key lies not in more technology, but in structurally developing skills and redesigning work processes.