Untapped AI: workforce underestimates true anxiety levels
Untapped AI’s programs help CEOs and their teams navigate change by creating mission-driven people with data-driven diagnostics. By combining human relationships with the power of AI feedback, the company enables transformational change in the areas where training and traditional coaching fail.
From its recent findings, Untapped AI is calling for employee surveys to end as it has found two-thirds of the workforce underestimate their anxiety levels when completing organisational surveys.
“Most companies are aware that self-reported employee surveys don’t work, and that employees are more likely to withhold information or their true feelings. However, they simply can’t think of anything better,” said Kendal Parmar, co-founder and CEO of Untapped AI.
“Surveys are boxing in employees to answer multiple-choice questions, and employees aren’t trusting that the process is anonymous and any negative answers won’t be held against them. It’s time to put an end to surveys to give employers real-time, anonymous insights into how their employees are feeling, rather than outdated models that simply don’t work.”
The company’s AI-powered insights also reveal a 35% disparity between what employees self-report on organisational and pulse surveys and their true feelings.
Included in this was their sensibilities on subjects such as hybrid working, mental health, productivity, innovation and adaptability.
Untapped calls for the end of employee surveys
Although the survey market has been estimated to be worth roughly $4.87 billion and is expected to grow by over 16% in the next five years, Untapped AI’s data has shown that 75% of change initiatives are driven by the results of employee surveys don’t work.
Untapped AI’s data also highlighted that most people (95%) would say that they’re self-aware. Despite this, only 10-15% have the high level of self-awareness necessary to reliably complete a self-reporting employee survey.
Additionally, as it has been found 54% of women and 40% of men engage in people-pleasing behaviour. This is particularly significant to consider as although many organisational surveys are advertised as being anonymous, employees aren’t trusting in the process and are concerned that any negative answers will be reflected in performance reviews and their progress.
Parmar continued: “In some regions, individuals don’t feel that they can admit their true feelings to themselves, let alone to their employer. Abolishing surveys and using programmes and technology that helps employees to navigate change is key.”
By combining the psychology of leadership with the technology of AI, Untapped AI have been able to create a personalised coaching programme that provides long-term insights and trends for businesses and employees.
As a result, its technology provides accurate, raw, unfiltered grassroots data for companies. It also helps employers and individuals identify problems before they become apparent, by doing this, organisational change can be driven from the bottom up.
Impact of the pandemic on workplace anxiety
These findings from Untapped AI has also shown the impact the pandemic has had on workplace anxiety. The company has found there has been an increase in the number of referrals to PHQ-9 to assess for depression and low mood based on WHO-5 Wellbeing scores of 12 or under, since the pandemic began, with referral numbers increasing from 10-30%.
As lockdowns began in Asia and spread to the UK and US, so did feelings of anxiety and low mood.
Considering this, employers should recognise surveys taken from months preceding the pandemic are not reflective of months where employees were more restricted, making these insights outdated.
