Employers face a growing challenge as artificial intelligence reshapes how work is done, with employees increasingly fearing “becoming obsolete”, according to a study by consultancy Willis Towers Watson.
WTW’s 2026 Employee Experience Global Market Study had 549 respondents, and pointed to a widening gap between the pace of technological change and employee readiness. While AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, many organisations were found to be not yet equipped to support their workforce through the transition.
According to the study, 59 per cent of employers expect AI to fundamentally change how employee experience is messaged, managed and delivered within the next three years, rising to 89 per cent over the next decade. At the same time, the share of work handled through automation and digital tools is expected to more than double, from 14 per cent today to 31 per cent within three years.
Gaby Joyner, European head of employee experience at WTW, says: “Employees aren’t just watching AI reshape work, they’re feeling it, living it and questioning how they’ll fit in the future. Organisations that intentionally design an employee experience to address this anxiety can replace uncertainty with confidence and help people see a future where they still matter.”
WTW identified a perceived need for employers to shift from only measuring employee engagement, as an indicator of how people feel about their work and their willingness to give effort, to employee impact as a measure of how effectively people execute and adapt to deliver results.
