As AI use in the workplace explodes, companies like Google, Meta and Amazon are baking AI utilization into performance management. But a recent survey found that managers and employees are far apart in their understanding of how AI utilization factors into positive performance evaluations.
Background screening company Checkr surveyed 3,000 workers—split evenly between managers and non-managers—to understand how AI is reshaping the workplace. Fifty-eight percent of managers said AI use is becoming an “unspoken performance requirement” at work—yet only 29% of employees agree, and 37% say they genuinely aren’t sure.
“The managers expected to build and enforce AI strategies are experiencing the most adoption anxiety, while employees who use these tools daily are comparatively insulated from that urgency,” according to Bryan Sise, a Checkr vice president. He adds that in essence more than a third of the workforce is being silently evaluated against a standard nobody told them existed.
“Maybe that isn’t an AI problem. But is it a manager problem?” Sise says. “In any case, that disconnect can create real friction between policy and practice.”
He adds that much of that friction is invisible because expectations are never made explicit. If employees cannot tell whether AI competence is being quietly evaluated as part of their professional standing, organizations are creating anxiety without accountability, he says.
Sise adds that the perception gap extends to how much AI is actually used day to day, as 45% of managers believe their colleagues use AI frequently or constantly. Yet, only 18% of employees believe the same about their peers, and 16% say they are not sure.
“Bottom line, the disconnect we see between managers and employees is likely driven by the clarity of communications from leadership about AI,” Sise says.
The survey also found that more than one-third of employees don’t know where AI directives originate, underscoring the need for better communication.
“This uncertainty magnifies the skepticism and fear that many employees are already feeling about AI,” Sise says.
AI mandates should be consistent across all functions, with messaging that explains the clear “why” and “what’s in it for my career?”
To more clearly demonstrate the expectations around AI use at work, and to infuse creativity, Sise points to options like an AI stipend, AI hack days, AI demos and an AI solutions team. Make such programs “fun and exciting,” he says.
Sise also cautions that AI adoption should be paired with safeguards that maintain fair hiring decisions. As AI becomes more embedded in both how candidates present themselves and how employers evaluate them, employers will need stronger ways to confirm identity, validate credentials and maintain confidence in the hiring process.
“The companies that will succeed will be those that combine the speed and efficiency of AI with systems that preserve trust in how people are hired,” Sise says.
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