Research: Employees don’t mind employers using AI to analyze their activities

Most employees are open to having their organizations analyze data from emails, messages and meetings to improve their employee experience, according to new research from Provo-based Qualtrics. Also known as passive listening, this practice provides valuable insights using data employees generate in their daily activities. In fact, only 27 percent of employees said they definitely or probably would not opt in to a program that analyzed text data from sources like work emails or instant messages to improve their experiences at work.

Employees’ self-reported comfort with their organization analyzing different data sources is significantly higher than what human resources leaders predicted. The biggest difference is in direct messages; HR underestimated employee comfort by 16 percentage points.

The expansion of AI is increasing data collection and analysis by organizations trying to reign in expensive attrition. Employees generate valuable data in the course of their daily work, such as emails, Slack messages, IT tickets and meeting invitations. AI can parse this data to reveal patterns that predict things like disengagement or burnout and allow employers to step in, especially as the volume of data increases.

“This research underscores the crucial dialogue needed between employers and employees in the evolving landscape of today’s workplace,” said Dr. Benjamin Granger, chief workplace psychologist at Qualtrics. “Good dialogue is two-way and employees appreciate opportunities to drive the conversation with senior leadership. Passive listening allows employees to raise topics that don’t show up in employee surveys and open up new lines of communication.”

Other key findings of the research include:

• Lower-level employees are much more wary about their organization analyzing their data than senior leaders, reflecting findings from Qualtrics’ 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report. Just 27 percent of individual contributors say they probably or definitely would opt into a passive listening program, compared with 71 percent of C-suite leaders. This disparity in embracing new technology supports previous Qualtrics research that found executives were excited about the potential impact of AI while individual contributors were more likely to call it scary.
• Employees are more comfortable with analysis of their emails and messages than social media. Among text-based channels, they are most comfortable with work system processes like IT tickets, open-text survey responses and meeting transcripts being used. Employees are less comfortable with more personal data sources like email and Slack messages being analyzed, and least comfortable with their organization analyzing social media, even if it is anonymous.
• The biggest concern employees have about passive listening is an invasion of privacy, followed by data security and the data being misinterpreted. For employees who would not opt into a passive listening program, transparency about how the data is used — or not used — and who had access to it, as well as control over opting out in the future, are the top ways to change their minds.

Employees who trust senior leadership at their organization are significantly more willing to participate in a passive listening program than those who don’t trust their leaders. More than half (55 percent) of employees who trust senior leadership said they would probably or definitely share their data. If employees do not trust their senior leaders, the reverse is true — 53 percent said they probably or definitely would not choose to share their data.

“Trust is foundational in developing a mutually beneficial relationship between employees and organizational leaders,” said Granger. “This is especially true when it comes to introducing new programs and technologies. Leaders can build trust by highlighting how individual employees will benefit and providing ongoing transparency and autonomy over their data.”

“In their laudable desire to protect employee privacy, HR leaders may be underestimating employee comfort with passive listening,” said Matt Evans, head of employee experience product science at Qualtrics. “When organizations highlight the benefits and address concerns, they will drive higher acceptance and gain valuable insights into what is top of mind for employees.”

The research was conducted in March among 1,000 desk-based workers and 100 HR leaders. Respondents were selected from a randomized panel and considered eligible if they are at least 18 years of age.