If you're an HR leader, business executive, or head of people analytics, you might be wondering: How can we make sure our people don't just use AI, but use it well?
It's a fair question—after all, investing in AI tools is only half the battle. The real challenge (and opportunity) lies in helping your teams become truly proficient in using those tools so that productivity soars instead of stalls.
We'll explore why AI proficiency is now a must-have skill in modern organizations, how everyday workplace tools like Slack and Microsoft 365 are baking in AI features, and what both individuals and organizations can do to boost AI usage and uptake.
One reason AI proficiency is so crucial today is that AI has quietly (and not so quietly) embedded itself in the tools we use every day. Let's look at a few high-profile examples of how AI is baked into common workplace tools:
So, how do we make sure our employees make the most of these AI-infused tools? It starts with individual upskilling.
We need to enable each person to become an "AI-enhanced employee" – someone who knows how to leverage AI to amplify their performance. Here are some strategies for individuals (and those guiding them) to build AI proficiency:
By championing these habits and skills, you help each person incorporate AI naturally into their work. When employees reach the point where using AI is second nature, you truly have AI-enhanced humans driving your business forward.
As the adage goes, "you can't improve what you don't measure." This holds true for AI adoption. Many organizations deploy AI tools without a clear way to track how they're being used or whether they're making a difference. To truly boost AI uptake, leaders need visibility into who is using AI, how often, and to what effect.
The logic is simple – if you see one department barely touching Co-pilot, you can intervene with additional training or support.
If another team is using it extensively and saving hours, you can highlight that as a best +practice. Metrics to watch might include: the percentage of employees actively using an AI Agent, frequency of use, and correlations with performance metrics (e.g., did teams using the AI tool have higher sales or faster project delivery?).
However, measuring AI proficiency can be tricky. AI usage data might be scattered across different systems. Each tool (Slack, Office, GitHub, etc.) provides its own analytics, but you likely want a unified view of AI adoption across the organization. This is where people analytics comes in.
By aggregating usage data from various applications, you can compile a comprehensive picture of how work gets done and where AI fits in.
And this is exactly where Worklytics comes into play as a solution.
Worklytics is a people analytics platform purpose-built to help organizations measure and improve how work gets done – including the adoption of AI tools.
In practice, Worklytics serves as an AI adoption dashboard for your company.
It can connect to data from your existing tools – like Slack, Microsoft 365 Co-pilot, Zoom, GitHub, and more – to automatically track AI usage across all teams.
Instead of relying on guesswork or anecdotes, you get hard metrics on which departments are (or aren't) leveraging AI.
In short, Worklytics leverages your existing collaboration data to measure AI adoption across your organization, boost uptake, and ensure a solid return on your AI investment.
Beyond measuring raw usage, Worklytics provides actionable insights to increase it. For example, the platform can identify "power users" who are ahead of the curve in using AI and highlight what they're doing differently.
Over time, you'll see trends – perhaps Marketing's AI adoption surges after a workshop, or a certain tool isn't catching on in the Engineering department.
Importantly, Worklytics also helps quantify the impact of AI by correlating usage with outcomes. You can analyze whether teams using AI are completing projects faster, reducing errors, or otherwise improving key metrics. This kind of analysis closes the loop, linking AI adoption to real business results (the very evidence senior leaders want to see when evaluating ROI).
Illustrative example of Worklytics
Another powerful feature is benchmarking. Worklytics allows you to benchmark your organization's AI adoption against industry peers, so you can gauge whether you're leading or lagging the pack. All these analytics are delivered with privacy in mind – data is aggregated and anonymized, focusing on team patterns rather than individual activity. The goal is to support your workforce's development, not surveil it.
Illustrative example of Worklytics
The bottom line is that Worklytics gives you a real-time pulse on your organization's AI proficiency and usage. It transforms AI adoption from a vague ambition into a clear, data-driven discipline. Armed with these insights, you can double down on what's working, address gaps with targeted initiatives, and celebrate progress backed by numbers. In short, Worklytics ensures that your investment in AI tools truly translates into improved performance across your teams.
HR leaders and executives have a pivotal role in this transformation. By championing AI literacy, investing in upskilling, fostering an open culture of experimentation, and equipping teams with insights (through solutions like Worklytics), they lay the groundwork for a workforce that thrives alongside AI.
As you look ahead, remember that improving AI usage is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with small steps: pilot an AI training program, celebrate a team's early win with an AI tool, and measure everything. Over time, those steps compound into leaps. Your workforce will grow more confident and competent with AI, and your organization will reap the rewards in productivity, creativity, and agility.
In the end, becoming proficient in AI is not just about technology – it's about empowering people. With the right strategy, support, and tools, you can boost AI uptake and turn it into a true engine of growth for your teams. So go ahead and embrace the AI revolution. Your future self – and your bottom line – will thank you.
