Baby Boomers less threatened by rapidly evolving technology in the workplace than younger generations
Announcement posted by Genesys 25 Sep 2019
Older employees in Australia and New Zealand are more socially engaged and less afraid of the impact of technology according to a recent survey
Research commissioned by technology leader Genesys, aimed at improving the understanding of attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, revealed older generations are significantly more positive towards AI technology in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). This suggests they are considerably more comfortable with the implementation of modern workforce tools as opposed to younger respondents.
70% of respondents aged 18-38 years believe there should be a minimum requirement of human employees over AI/bots compared to 59% of respondents aged 55-73 years. The younger respondents appear to be more cautious of the implementation of this technology compared to more senior respondents.
All age demographics reported seeing the benefit of advanced technology in the workplace with an average of 87% stating it has a positive impact. Creating greater job efficiency was the main reason for the high positive impact across the generations with an average of 73%.
Impact on workplace sentiments
23% of respondents aged 18-38 years reported feeling threatened by new technology in the workplace, 6% higher than respondents aged 55-73 years. A simillar trend was identified in respondents aged 39-54 years, with 3% of this group reporting feeling more threatened by new technology compared to older respondents.
According to the survey, younger respondents spent slightly more time at work interacting with computers/machines compared to older generations who spent more time interacting with humans. When it came to a willingness to be trained by advanced technologies older respondents were less willing, suggesting they prefer to connect with humans rather than technology.
Impact on social interactions
The survey uncovered another key difference between the generations - the perceptions of the impact of technology on social interactions in the workplace. 44% of respondents aged 55-73 years report technology does not inhibit social interactions at all, while those aged 18-38 years report it does – 7% more than their older peers.
The survey identified consistent differences between the generations, highlighting older respondents report feeling less threatened and more socially engaged by technology compared to younger respondents.
Gwilym Funnell, Vice President of Sales and Managing Director for Genesys in Australia and New Zealand said, “Older generations are valuable members of our workplace, and these results dispel the myth that they are averse to technology. The evolution of business is calling for greater adaptability; this is when experience can be leveraged for greater success.”
Survey Notes
Genesys®, the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact centre solutions, commissioned this survey to better understand current global attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the workplace and what this means for the future of AI.
4,207 employees from five regions including ANZ, the US, UK, Japan and Germany completed the online survey in April 2019. Respondents were evenly divided into three age ranges (18-38, 39-54, 55-73) with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.
For a copy of the full survey data, please contact the Genesys media relations team at genesys@zadroagency.com.au
About Genesys
Genesys® powers more than 25 billion of the world’s best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on-premises and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog.
©2019 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Genesys, the Genesys logo, and Genesys PureCloud are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
70% of respondents aged 18-38 years believe there should be a minimum requirement of human employees over AI/bots compared to 59% of respondents aged 55-73 years. The younger respondents appear to be more cautious of the implementation of this technology compared to more senior respondents.
All age demographics reported seeing the benefit of advanced technology in the workplace with an average of 87% stating it has a positive impact. Creating greater job efficiency was the main reason for the high positive impact across the generations with an average of 73%.
Impact on workplace sentiments
23% of respondents aged 18-38 years reported feeling threatened by new technology in the workplace, 6% higher than respondents aged 55-73 years. A simillar trend was identified in respondents aged 39-54 years, with 3% of this group reporting feeling more threatened by new technology compared to older respondents.
According to the survey, younger respondents spent slightly more time at work interacting with computers/machines compared to older generations who spent more time interacting with humans. When it came to a willingness to be trained by advanced technologies older respondents were less willing, suggesting they prefer to connect with humans rather than technology.
Impact on social interactions
The survey uncovered another key difference between the generations - the perceptions of the impact of technology on social interactions in the workplace. 44% of respondents aged 55-73 years report technology does not inhibit social interactions at all, while those aged 18-38 years report it does – 7% more than their older peers.
The survey identified consistent differences between the generations, highlighting older respondents report feeling less threatened and more socially engaged by technology compared to younger respondents.
Gwilym Funnell, Vice President of Sales and Managing Director for Genesys in Australia and New Zealand said, “Older generations are valuable members of our workplace, and these results dispel the myth that they are averse to technology. The evolution of business is calling for greater adaptability; this is when experience can be leveraged for greater success.”
-ends-
Survey Notes
Genesys®, the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact centre solutions, commissioned this survey to better understand current global attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the workplace and what this means for the future of AI.
4,207 employees from five regions including ANZ, the US, UK, Japan and Germany completed the online survey in April 2019. Respondents were evenly divided into three age ranges (18-38, 39-54, 55-73) with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.
For a copy of the full survey data, please contact the Genesys media relations team at genesys@zadroagency.com.au
About Genesys
Genesys® powers more than 25 billion of the world’s best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on-premises and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog.
©2019 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Genesys, the Genesys logo, and Genesys PureCloud are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.