Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work, bringing a new level of efficiency, accuracy, and productivity to businesses. However, the rise of AI also poses some challenges for employers, such as concerns around privacy and job displacement.
- Telsyte’s Australian Digital Consumer Study found 35% of workers anticipate their roles could be performed by AI in the future.
- A report by KPMG and The University of Queensland, shows that only 43% of Australians believe their employers have strategies to support the use of AI.
- 61% of people wary of AI systems.
- The World Economic Forum found that AI could create 97 million new jobs by 2025, whilst eliminating 85 million jobs.
As organisations continue to implement AI-powered technologies, it’s essential to prioritise human centric design to maximise employee wellbeing. Research has shown that incorporating human centric design into the workplace can lead to happier, healthier, and more engaged employees.
What is Human Centric Design?
Human centric design is a process of creating products, services, and environments that are centred around the needs of people. In the workplace, human design involves designing a workspace that supports employees’ physical and emotional needs, work goals and objectives.
Human centric design takes into account factors such as ergonomics, lighting, air quality, as well as the social and cultural context of the workplace. It also considers the role of technology and how it can be used to enhance the human experience.
Why Human Centric Design is Important in an AI-Powered Workplace
As AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, it’s critical to ensure that employees do not feel isolated or undervalued. Human centric design can help mitigate these concerns by ensuring that employees remain at the center of the workplace experience.
Additionally, investing in human design helps businesses attract and retain top talent, as employees look for workplaces that prioritise their health and wellbeing.
The Gartner survey revealed the benefits of employees operating in human-centric work models, finding:
- Employees were 3.2x more likely to stay in their job
- Employees were 3.1x more likely to experience low levels of fatigue
Employee Wellbeing and AI
AI may be the future, but employee wellbeing will always be a human need.
Businesses need to prioritise human-centered employee wellbeing programs that prioritise the needs, values, and experiences of their employees. Here are some reasons why this is important:
- Trust and credibility: In order for employees to trust AI-powered wellbeing tools, they need to feel confident that their data is being used ethically. By prioritising human-centered design, businesses can build trust and credibility with their employees.
- Employee autonomy and agency: While AI can provide valuable insights and recommendations for improving health and wellbeing, it’s important for employees to retain a sense of autonomy in the process. Human-centered wellbeing programs should provide individuals with the tools and resources needed to make informed decisions about their own health.
- Emotional and social support: While AI can provide support for employees’ physical health, it may not meet their emotional or social needs. Human-centered wellbeing programs should prioritise access to mental health resources, opportunities for social connection and community building.
- Diversity and inclusion: AI algorithms are only as effective as the data they are trained on, and if that data is biased or incomplete, it can lead to inaccurate recommendations. Human-centered design ensures, businesses wellbeing programs are inclusive, accounting for differences in age, gender, ethnicity and ability.
- Purpose and meaning: Human-centered wellbeing programs should be designed with a sense of purpose and meaning. Purpose in the workplace helps employees to feel more engaged, motivated, and fulfilled, leading to improved health, wellbeing, and performance.
How We Can Help
At Better Being, we combine technology with human-centered design to create effective and engaging corporate wellbeing programs. Our Wellbeing Index provides customised, data-driven insights that assist organisations and their employees in making informed decisions about their wellbeing.
Our wellbeing programs are then focused on the human experience, prioritising connection between people through three key features:
- 1:1 health consults: Each employee is assigned their own coach to create a unique health plan.
- Workshops: Our workshops drive connection and learning through interactive and meaningful content.
- Group exercise classes: these classes are designed to help create team cohesion and connection.
