Report: One-fifth of office workers say AI not improving productivity

Only 21 percent of office workers say that AI is significantly improving their productivity, according to a survey by South Jordan-based enterprise IT and security software company Ivanti. 

The company’s 2025 Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Report featured a survey of over 3,300 IT professionals and end users around the world. The research draws attention to the widening disconnect between organizations’ perceptions of their digital maturity and the real-world tech challenges faced by office workers and IT professionals alike, Ivanti said.

While 92 percent of companies plan to increase their AI investments over the next three years, according to McKinsey, “In the age of AI, digital friction threatens to undermine AI’s potential, exacerbate tech problems and have a corrosive effect on employee productivity,” Ivanti said. “Office workers already endure 3.6 tech interruptions and 2.7 security update disruptions per month. This equates to nearly $4 million in lost productivity annually for a company with 2,000 employees.”

The number of workplace tools is exploding faster than employees can master them, yet nearly half of office workers say they’re left to teach themselves how to use new technology — a source of frustration for employees and inefficiency for the business, Ivanti said. For example, among the 93 percent of companies that haven’t banned AI use, only 40 percent have provided training, while another 24 percent plan to offer it soon.

“As organizations accelerate their AI investments, it’s clear that realizing AI’s promise requires a deeper understanding of the employee experience and impact on productivity,” said Ivanti CEO Dennis Kozak. “Tools that monitor and analyze how employees interact with technology in real time, like Digital Employee Experience (DEX) solutions, offer data-driven insights – revealing workflow bottlenecks and initiating self-healing actions,” said Dennis Kozak, CEO of Ivanti.

Among other insights from the study, the newest office perk is employee technology autonomy. On average, office workers rate their workplace tools at just a “B-minus.” Sixty-five percent report that frustrations with these tools can negatively affect their mood and morale. Device choice is also a pressing concern: While 67 percent note that having a say in the devices they use is important, only 36 percent currently enjoy this freedom.

AI is helping evolve the help desk, “moving them beyond the break-fix cycle that has defined IT support for decades,” Ivanti said. While most companies have automated basic IT operations such as security patch management (72 percent) and IT ticket routing (67 percent), significant opportunities remain. Nearly 40 percent still haven’t automated password resets, missing an easy win that could eliminate countless routine support tickets.

Details about the report are at https://www.ivanti.com/resources/research-reports/2025-digital-employee-experience-report.