Time saved by deploying AI will necessitate redesigning roles within enterprises, according to a study by Pearson. It's projected that highly valued tech workers will save about a day a week by 2029, meaning companies should "rethink and evolve skilling pathways, or risk being left with an underutilized, undervalued and unprepared workforce," according to Oliver Latham, regional sales lead for EMEA at Pearson.

Cultivating company culture for remote-first organizations requires additional effort, but it's worth the investment, writes Sarah Ahmad, the CEO and co-founder of Stable. Ahmad recommends creating regular touch points for remote teams and holding in-person events every quarter to ensure employees can meet face-to-face.

HR departments tend to treat missives from top management as "diet fads," says Susan LaMonica, longtime chief human relations officer at Citizens Financial Group. Meaningful change, she notes, requires time and commitment. "It takes years to shift leadership behaviors that affect culture in any kind of meaningful way."

Toxic workplaces can ruin employee morale, writes Katia Vlachos, an author and reinvention coach who identifies red flags such as vague feedback, lack of work-life balance and consistent exclusion from important meetings. "If you're constantly walking on eggshells, questioning your worth or laying low to remain employed, it's time to re-evaluate," Vlachos writes.

Psychological safety in the workplace is often misunderstood, with many believing it requires being nice, guarantees job security or involves a top-down approach, writes executive coach Marcel Schwantes. Actual psychological safety, based on Harvard University research, involves open dialogue, allows for candid feedback and is built through daily interactions. Leaders can foster this environment by balancing accountability with a safe space for employees to speak up without fear of retaliation, Schwantes writes.

Consulting firms are doing more than guiding clients toward AI solutions. They're testing those same tools in-house, coming up with a number of creative chatbots, apps and agents. For example, McKinsey & Company uses generative AI called Tone of Voice to make sure reports to clients adhere to the company's strict style of communicating.

How deeply AI will change workplaces -- and how long it will take -- is guesswork, but it's speculated that legal offices and newsgathering agencies might be among the first affected. "Teaching, especially in nuanced fields like philosophy or early education, and high-level management jobs rely on emotional intelligence and adaptability, which AI struggles to replicate," notes Jack Kelly.

Agentic AI is set to transform the workplace by enabling strategic decisions at unprecedented scale, according to PwC workforce transformation leader Anthony Abbatiello, who says HR leaders must play a central role in this transition by collaborating with chief technology and financial officers to identify areas for disruption and ensure employees have the necessary skills to work alongside AI. "It's really about creating space for experimentation, modeling curiosity and responsibility with AI, setting guard rails of what's fair game and what's not, and then encouraging a culture of learning, questioning and adaptation," Abbatiello says.

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