Prodoscore, a leading provider of employee productivity and workforce activity intelligence software, has released new data revealing that nearly one in four employees demonstrate greater unused capacity than their peers in similar roles, while employees are increasingly relying on consumer AI tools that operate outside of traditional IT oversight.
Nearly one in four employees (23.7%) show higher idle time relative to peers in similar roles.
Employees actively used nearly 50 distinct AI tools across 72 companies analyzed.
ChatGPT led adoption, reaching nearly three times as many employees as Microsoft Copilot.
Three of five most-used AI tools – ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude – operate outside IT provisioning.
Almost no employees met the threshold for over-utilization, suggesting hidden internal capacity.
Findings highlight blind spots in workforce planning and shadow AI governance.
Nearly a quarter of employees fall within the highest quartile of gap-to-active time relative to their peers in similar roles, indicating potential unused capacity. That figure remained relatively unchanged from 22.7 percent a year ago. By comparison, almost no employees met the same threshold for over-utilization, suggesting that many organizations may have more internal capacity available than current workforce planning assumptions reflect. Activity data should never be viewed in isolation; when considered alongside employee output, responsibilities, and demonstrated performance, it can help companies make more informed workforce decisions. Prodoscore measures visible, on-screen activity and presents it as a capacity signal, not a verdict on individual productivity or number of hours worked.
The data also highlights a growing disconnect between enterprise technology policies and employee behavior. Across the 72 companies included in the analysis, employees actively used nearly 50 distinct AI tools. Three of the five most-used platforms – ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude – were consumer AI tools, rather than IT-provisioned enterprise platforms. ChatGPT led adoption by a wide margin, reaching nearly three times as many employees as Microsoft Copilot and accounting for nearly five times as many hours of usage. Because these tools operate outside of company-managed environments, organizations often have limited visibility into which AI platforms employees are using and what information may be shared through them.
Taken together, these findings reveal two significant blind spots for today's employers. Organizations may be underestimating the capacity that already exists within their workforce while simultaneously underestimating how quickly employees are adopting AI outside of company systems. Closing both visibility gaps will help leaders make smarter hiring, workforce planning, and technology investment decisions.
"These findings suggest that leaders should first evaluate the capacity that already exists within their teams before automatically opening a new position," said Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore. "Activity data should never be viewed in isolation. When considered alongside employee output, responsibilities and demonstrated performance, it can help companies to make more informed workforce decisions. Prodoscore measures visible, on-screen activity and presents it as a capacity signal, not a verdict on individual productivity or number of hours worked."
"Taken together, these findings reveal two significant blind spots for today's employers," added Mr. Naficy. "Organizations may be underestimating the capacity that already exists within their workforce while simultaneously underestimating how quickly employees are adopting AI outside of company systems. Closing both visibility gaps will help leaders to make smarter hiring, workforce planning and technology investment decisions."
About Prodoscore
Prodoscore™ is an AI-powered, employee-centric data intelligence solution dedicated to making teams more successful. Recognized by Inc. as a 2025 Best in Business honoree in the Best AI Implementation category, Prodoscore provides clarity on what employees need to do to maintain optimal productivity, without feeling pressured by meaningless metrics. Prodoscore helps to empower employees, streamline processes, identify opportunities for workforce optimization and ensure better-informed decision-making. Its unique dataset, consisting of thousands of daily activity points across various core business applications, provides customers with meaningful insights that drive results.
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