Are We Trading Productivity for “Workslop”?

Companies are rushing to join the AI bandwagon. They are encouraging adoption, exploring AI-powered HR tools, and championing a future of enhanced productivity. But what if the rush to embrace AI is creating a hidden crisis that’s silently eroding trust, collaboration, and the bottom line?

A new phenomenon is emerging, and it has a name: “workslop.”

Coined by researchers at BetterUp Labs and Stanford, “workslop” is AI-generated work that looks polished on the surface but lacks the substance, accuracy, or critical thinking needed to be useful. It’s the email that sounds professional but says nothing of value. It’s the report that’s perfectly formatted but factually incorrect. And it’s creating a massive, invisible tax on our organizations.

The $9 Million Mistake

Recent studies paint a concerning picture. While AI adoption has doubled in the past year, a staggering 95% of organizations have seen no measurable ROI on their AI investments. The problem isn’t the technology itself; it’s how it’s being used.

Here’s where it becomes an urgent HR issue:

• Productivity Drain: Research shows that 40% of employees have received workslop in the last month. Each instance takes, on average, nearly two hours to fix. For a company of 10,000 employees, this “invisible tax” amounts to over $9 million annually in lost productivity.
• Erosion of Trust: When an employee receives workslop, it’s not just an annoyance. The data reveals significant emotional and relational fallout. Forty-two percent of recipients view the sender as less trustworthy, 37% see them as less intelligent, and nearly half consider them less capable. This isn’t just about inefficient work; it’s about damaging the very fabric of our teams.
• Team Disengagement: A third of employees who receive workslop say they are less likely to want to collaborate with that colleague again. AI, intended to augment human capability, is instead creating friction and isolation. As one employee noted, it fosters a “mentally lazy, slow-thinking society.”

As HR professionals, we know that trust and psychological safety are the bedrock of high-performing teams. If workslop is undermining these foundations, we have a serious problem.

How to Solve the AI Problem

Indiscriminately promoting AI use without clear guidance is a recipe for disaster. We can’t simply hand our teams a powerful tool and hope for the best. We must step in as strategic navigators.

Here’s how we can lead the charge:

1. Establish Clear Guardrails and Best Practices: We need to work with leadership to create clear guidelines on how and when to use AI. Which tasks are appropriate for AI, and which require human oversight and critical thinking? A one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate. Our policies should empower employees, not just restrict them.
2. Cultivate the Right Mindset: The research identifies two types of users: “pilots” and “passengers.” Pilots use AI purposefully to enhance their creativity and output. Passengers use it as a shortcut to avoid work. Our training and development programs must focus on fostering a pilot mindset—framing AI as a co-pilot for innovation, not an autopilot for tasks.
3. Champion Human-Centric Collaboration: We must reinforce the message that AI is a tool to support shared goals, not a way to offload cognitive effort onto others. We can facilitate workshops and training sessions focused on ethical and intentional AI use, emphasizing that the ultimate responsibility for the quality of work remains with the individual.
4. Model Intentional Use from the Top: HR and leadership teams must lead by example. When we use AI, we should be transparent about it and demonstrate how to review, refine, and add human value to the output. This shows that AI is a starting point, not the final product.

The Future Is Collaborative, Not Automated

The promise of AI is immense, but its successful integration depends on our ability to manage its human impact. Technology needs to enhance collaboration and trust rather than undermine it.

Further Reading

HR Grapevine: Poorly Executed AI Costing Firms Trust, Productivity https://www.hrgrapevine.com/us/content/article/2025-09-25-poorly-executed-ai-costing-firms-9m-a-year-impacting-trust-productivity