Workday's new global study reveals that while AI delivers significant productivity gains, many organizations lose much of the benefit to rework on low-quality outputs, emphasizing the need to reinvest saved time in employee skills, role redesign, and process modernization for sustained impact.
Quick Intel
AI tools are accelerating workflows, yet Workday's report "Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI" highlights a critical gap: productivity gains often evaporate due to the effort required to refine and validate generic AI outputs. Surveying 3,200 full-time AI users at organizations with $100M+ in revenue across North America, APAC, and EMEA, the research shows that true value emerges when companies shift from mere deployment to strategic reinvestment in their workforce.
The AI Productivity Paradox While 85% of employees report meaningful time savings from AI, much of this capacity is redirected toward fixing inaccuracies, rewriting content, and double-checking results. This rework burden creates a false sense of progress, as only a small fraction of users experience consistently positive outcomes. Frequent users, despite their optimism, face the heaviest load, meticulously reviewing AI-generated work to ensure reliability. Younger workers, often perceived as digitally native, disproportionately shoulder this responsibility, underscoring broader challenges in adoption and support.
Persistent Gaps in Training and Role Evolution Leadership recognizes the importance of skills training, yet a disconnect remains between intent and execution, with high-rework employees reporting limited access. Compounding this, the majority of organizations have not modernized job roles to leverage AI effectively. Employees operate with cutting-edge tools embedded in legacy processes and structures, limiting the ability to convert increased capacity into higher-value contributions.
"Too many AI tools push the hard questions of trust, accuracy, and repeatability back onto individual users," said Gerrit Kazmaier, president, product and technology, Workday. "At Workday, we've spent years delivering AI as simple, human‑centered solutions – not raw technology – so customers aren't left to wire things together and fact‑check every answer on their own. Our philosophy is that AI should do the complex work under the hood so people can focus on judgment, creativity, and connection. That's how organizations turn AI‑powered speed into durable, human‑led advantage."
Reinvesting in People for Lasting Impact Organizations achieving the strongest AI returns prioritize reinvesting saved time into human development rather than solely into technology or expanded workloads. Employees with positive outcomes are more likely to channel time toward strategic activities such as deeper analysis, improved decision-making, and creative problem-solving. These leading companies also provide substantially more skills training, enabling teams to use AI effectively in judgment-intensive areas. By treating saved time as a strategic asset for upskilling, collaboration enhancement, and role redesign, these organizations reduce rework, elevate outcomes, and build enduring competitive advantage.
The research underscores that AI's greatest potential lies not in speed alone but in empowering people through thoughtful integration, continuous learning, and human-centered design. Organizations that bridge training gaps, evolve roles, and focus on judgment-driven work stand to transform temporary productivity boosts into long-term business value.
About the Report This data comes from the global study "Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI," a survey conducted by Workday and fielded by Hanover Research in November 2025. The study encompassed 3,200 respondents across North America; Asia-Pacific (APAC); and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). All participants were full-time employees at organizations with $100M+ in annual revenue and were active users of AI technology.
About Workday
Workday is the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. Workday unifies HR and Finance on one intelligent platform with AI at the core to empower people at every level with the clarity, confidence, and insights they need to adapt quickly, make better decisions, and deliver outcomes that matter. Workday is used by more than 11,000 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 65% of the Fortune 500.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.