Office workers feel AI is better than a human boss

A Censuswide survey for Business Name Generator has found that office-based workers prefer AI to their real bosses.

In the survey of 1,005 UK and 1,037 US employees run in March 2023, one in five employees across the UK and US think a robot would do a better job than their current boss and one in three are confident robots will take over the workplace. The survey reveals that a lack of appreciation is the biggest frustration felt by employees about their bosses.

A third of those polled believe that a robot boss would ensure there was no favouritism. Among UK workers, 30.45% think a robot boss would be better at making unbiased decisions, while the figure for those workers in the US was 28.16%.

When looking at whether people felt an AI boss would reduce discrimination, the attitudes of UK and US workers are quite close. The survey found that 29.65% of UK workers believe an AI boss would reduce discrimination, compared to the figure of 28.83% for the US office workers polled.

Looking at employee concerns around AI bosses, softer skills and capabilities is the key area respondents think a robot would lack. In addition, just under half of employees think they would struggle to see a robot as an authoritative figure.

Despite this, over one in five (22%) admit they would feel more comfortable talking about their frustrations at work to a robot over their boss. According to Business Name Generator, this may be due to not wanting to cause conflict or emotional distress that is part of human interaction. The survey found that 18% would trust a robot boss over their current one.

The office workers polled said that a lack of appreciation is the biggest frustration they feel about their bosses, with 14% experiencing this currently. Micromanagement, being a “know it all”, and lacking patience are among the frustrations featured in the top 10, with over one in 10 respondents experiencing this.

Poor management skills such as bosses who are disorganised or have unclear expectations also featured in the top 10 of complaints.

Lack of empathy and favouritism rank as the next most common frustrations, with more than one in 10 experiencing this.

Poor management is leading to people feeling their job is no longer tenable. The survey found that 37% of respondents revealed that they’ve left a job in the past due to their manager.

As AI continues to prove its value in reducing process times, improving decision-making and increasing efficiency, Business Name Generator said that the survey shows that employee management may be the next area this technology thrives in.

With recruitment and employee retention often costing a lot of time and money for employers, AI has the potential to not only improve employee wellbeing, but to free up more time and money for business owners to invest in other areas.