Will artificial intelligence make us happier?

Hello and welcome to working on it.

This week, I was pleased to see that smartphone use has finally been recognized as extremely damaging to children and young people. A parent-led mass movement to stop giving smartphones to children is well underway.

We adults don't make great role models for ourselves, as many of us are addicted to using smartphones. We would certainly think more clearly and waste less time at work if we did not have a phone on hand all the time. Have you tried a digital detox in the workplace? I'm fascinated by the idea. We welcome all ideas on this topic: isabel.berwick@ft.com.

* Watch Capture, an award-winning FT video drama about children's safety (or lack thereof) online.

Read on for details on a large study on how AI and technology are impacting workers' health, and in Office Therapy we tackle the dog daycare dilemma 🐶.

Will robots make us happy? 😃

I get so many stories and podcast shows about AI at work that I can't keep up 🏃🏼‍♀️. It's a deluge of techwash (generated by ChatGPT?). However, I do occasionally hear about something really insightful – most recently, a working paper from The Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing, looking at how AI and technology are impacting workers’ wellbeing.

This is something we don't hear about very often, so I asked one of its lead authors, Professor Jolene Skordis from the University of California, whether this was the first time research had been done in this area. The answer is no – and yes: “This is not the first time anyone has measured the impact of technology and AI on health, but it is the first time it has been done this way.” This research is different because it delves into how different types of technology affect our health, and its measure of worker well-being includes both mental and physical health.

Overall, the working paper found that newer technologies have a more negative impact on workers' overall health. Logical. Humans don't like change. It takes time to get used to new processes, and it's stressful. The other part of the negative impact, Jolene told me, “is due to what AI and other newer technologies can do to everyday work. Newer technologies can improve worker safety, but they may also leave many workers managing routine machine jobs where Decisions are made by machines instead. Some workers feel undervalued by these routine “technology monitoring” roles, other workers worry about the future of their jobs, and some find their work intense.

One of the most surprising findings so far (research is ongoing) is how much these new AI-adjacent roles will impact workers. “We expected to find that technology takes care of the boring jobs – leaving humans free to be creative and strategize. We did not expect that feeling like a 'machine manager' would introduce a new category of routine work. In upcoming research, we will also examine what a greater share might mean It is routine work for a democracy.

That last sentence made me gasp – I wasn't expecting Jolene to say that. But her point shows just how big this shift in the workplace is in every aspect of our lives. (Also, doesn't “automated management” perfectly sum up one version of the future of work?)

If this sounds frustrating, the good news is that employers can help relieve stress by being decent human beings in terms of how they communicate and implement change 📣. Here's Jolene: “The way companies bring new technology into the workplace strongly influences workers' relationship with technology – and ultimately its impact on well-being. So does feeling like you have rights at work.

The Future of Work Institute uses audit research to create a “sandbox” of tools and frameworks for employers to help deploy technological advances in the most positive way.

At the same time, I wonder whether a future rooted in machine thinking will make us more or less likely to enhance our human relationships with our colleagues. If the program works by itself, can we go out and have a coffee ☕️? Or will we sit silently (perhaps on our phones) while the AI ​​does the work? Is there a relevant analogy here with the work of a factory production line? I'm interested in your ideas: isabel.berwick@ft.com.

*I recommend following the ongoing deliverables of the Pissarides Review – a long-term research project aiming to shape a better future for work (we can all get behind that). It is led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides, in collaboration between the Future of Work Institute, Imperial College and Warwick Business School. Disclosure: I'm only tangentially involved in the steering committee – but the actual experts are the ones doing the research.

This week on the Work It Podcast

Can you get ahead without being a manager? Some ambitious and intelligent people don't want to be responsible for others: they prefer to spend time on the essential parts of the job that they enjoy and are good at. But traditional career paths require us to get ahead and get noticed by managing others. In this week's podcast episode, we hear from one of my favorite people at the Financial Times, chief economic commentator Martin Wolf (whose office is next door to mine), about his aversion to managing others, and what he's gained instead.

To get a corporate perspective, we hear from Carl Edge, chief HR officer at KPMG in the UK, about the diverse paths available out there – it seems people management is no longer the only way forward. Do you think this is true? Email me: isabel.berwick@ft.com

Office therapy

Problem: I'm feeling angry, after a team member just told me — and no one asked me — that they'll be working from home for several weeks when they get their new puppy. They live alone and have no one to share the care of the dogs with. Another guy is constantly late because his puppy keeps him awake 😵‍💫.

Should we treat pet leave in the same way that employees take time off or work flexibly to care for children, elderly parents, etc.? Or is it reasonable to feel aggrieved when such big decisions are made without considering current commitments at work?

Isabelle's tip: The only thing missing in this scenario is a request to bring these dogs to work (that will likely come soon). And you're right to raise this: The question of who is considered a family member, and what benefits and leave employees should receive in order to care for all dependents, is a very live issue in post-pandemic workplaces.

The United States has already established dedicated pet benefits conferences, and some employers offer “filial” leave. So, on a macro level, raise this issue with HR and upper management: Creating clear guidelines for pet owners will help you and your employees. This may include how much leave, if any, is reasonable to care for a small or sick animal, and whether or not the organization offers bereavement leave for pets (it's important).

Until that happens, your team members will have to use some of their vacation allowance, mixed with some leeway from you, to spend these first days with their dogs. But being late for work all the time is not okay. Can this team member start later and make time?

Overall, your workers will be happier because of their furry companions, and that's a big bonus for everyone ✅.

Do you have a question, problem or dilemma about office therapy? Do you think you have better advice for our readers? Send it to me: isabel.berwick@ft.com. We are all anonymous. Your boss, colleagues or subordinates will never know.

Five stories from the world of work

Workplace Neurodiversity Claims Motivate Companies to Seek Legal Help: Employees facing performance management or disciplinary claims are increasingly likely to cite a previously undisclosed neurodiversity condition in their defence. A timely investigation into one of the biggest HR issues in the workplace from Suzi Ring.

The Risks of Speaking Out at Work Often Deter Employees: In the wake of the Boeing crisis (and the CEO's departure), Michael Skapinker explains why employees are less likely to speak up or speak out when they see problems or wrongdoing at work—and how more openness can be encouraged.

Covid still distorts our sense of time: A mind-boggling column from Belita Clark on how we see time differently after all those months of lockdown during the pandemic. And how we can all be a little less intelligent than we were before. . .

Menopause support has to walk a fine line between awareness and stigma: I groan when another company announces its 'groundbreaking' menopause awareness policy, but as Emma Jacobs points out, there's a silver lining to all this. It's sometimes difficult to separate “list washing” from the real work.

Could theater be the future of investigative journalism? A different kind of storytelling is thriving in Vienna, where recent political and business scandals drive cash for clients and generate interest and income, says Sam Jones.

another thing . . .

Although I love the Financial Times, I'm old enough to admit that the Wall Street Journal also produces excellent workplace coverage 🙌🏻. This week, the Wall Street Journal interviewed Bill Anderson, CEO of pharmaceutical company Bayer, about his radical experience in doing away with traditional management structures (and too many managers) in favor of “self-directed teams.” There's clearly a cost-cutting backdrop here, but is this a great innovation or another cliched idea that will come and go? Either way, it's a great read.

Finally. . .

My book, Future-Proof Profession, will be published on April 11, and I will be appearing at a few festivals in the coming months, including a discussion on “What is Meaningful Work?” (No big deal then) at How The Light Gets In in Hay-on-Wye and a free event at the York Festival of Ideas. It would be great to say hello to Working It readers and listeners 👋.

I'll be away next week but my colleague Bethan Staton will cover for me.