Now, more than ever, supervisors need to step up and ensure early-career workers still develop the insights and skills essential for long-term growth.
The problem of using AI to take over admin tasks
We like the idea of using AI to augment our work and make us more efficient. But when so-called “menial” tasks are handed to artificial intelligence, early-career employees are in danger of losing a foundational part of their career development.
Repetitive tasks help employees understand the day-to-day running of a company, giving them a sense of internal processes, decision-making and interdepartmental collaboration. If AI removes these opportunities to learn, junior workers could miss out and hinder the workforce long term. They may know how to use customer relationship management (CRM) software, but if they have not manually entered the data themselves, they will lack insight into why data might be logged in a certain way or how small errors can impact sales reports and business decisions.
The evolving role of supervisors in an AI-driven workplace
This new reality puts great responsibility on the shoulders of supervisors. Supervisors of early-career workers now need to navigate an AI-augmented workplace while ensuring employees build the foundational skills pertinent to understanding the company.
Skills that aren’t easily to automate will also have a much bigger role in the future workplace. David Carnegie, Talent and Leadership Advisor who pens the monthly newsletter The Super Supervisor emphasises that supervisors must adapt: “The working relationship that supervisors have with their teams have become even more nuanced. As AI takes over routine tasks, supervisors are no longer the sole experts. They have to find new ways to empower and support their team members in business environments that are augmented by AI.”
The key skills supervisors need today
Supervisors must give their team members the space to make mistakes and ask questions, restoring the feedback loop that may otherwise be lost through AI. David says, “My feeling is to combine technical know-how with emotional intelligence and the humility to navigate this new business environment in partnership with entry-level workers rather than ‘above’ them.”
How to approach supervisory roles in the AI-driven workplace
As we shift our everyday workflows, supervisors will play a crucial role in guiding their teams through the transition. To support their team, supervisors can take several practical steps that help workers grasp how AI fits into the bigger picture.
Help your team understand how AI manages tasks
We recommend supervisors implement a three-part process to help employees learn:
- Have employees shadow supervisors as they complete tasks manually
- Show how AI performs the same tasks
- Let employees try the tasks themselves, with supervision
Build tech literacy
Teams must recognise that AI isn’t perfect. David says that “regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act put guardrails on generative AI use, and how to manage AI responsibly and ethically, but companies must still ensure that employees understand how AI handles proprietary data and complies with governance and compliance standards.”
Supervisors should have a sense of accountability to their team and the company by regularly reviewing their team’s AI-assisted work.
Encourage critical thinking
When businesses use AI to generate reports, supervisors should engage their teams in discussions to interpret the results. Questions like, “What stands out to you in this report?” and “Are there any missing data?” help sharpen analytical skills and safeguard the company from producing reams of AI-generated content that have had no human editor to check them.
Make ‘curiosity’ a habit in the workplace
Supervisors should ensure their workers always question how the AI system has come to its conclusions and made its decisions. Perhaps, on reading the data, it didn’t flag an item that it normally would. What other variables might the AI have looked at, to come to this decision, or was it simply an oversight?
By encouraging their teams to think critically, supervisors can both strengthen the team and its tech literacy and safeguard the company against mistakes. Regularly challenging an AI system’s conclusions and encouraging a habit of quality checks will empower early-career employees to make smarter decisions and protect the company from costly errors. It is up to the supervisor to take on both these tasks.
A future-ready workforce
The impact of AI on junior employees is complex and understudied. We see supervisors having a key role in bridging this gap and helping early-career workers to develop their interpersonal and critical thinking skills while working alongside AI.
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Do you have questions about how to hire for the AI-driven workplace? Are you uncertain about the effects of AI in the workplace for junior employees? Get in touch; we can help you to find the right personnel for your company and how to train them to ensure AI-augmented work strengthens your team and drives the bottom line.