Transform your workforce and your organisation will follow
The biggest GenAI challenge isn’t adoption. It's enabling workers and their teams to use it confidently, responsibly and effectively.
With insights from 25,000 UK workers, our GenAI Workforce Survey gives us a unique perspective on how GenAI is reshaping the workplace. Here, we take a deep dive into leadership & training and the ways GenAI can transform both your workforce and your organisation.
Key takeaways
- Leadership is struggling to communicate clearly about GenAI: 65% of users do not hear leaders talking about the technology with a clear understanding of it
- Only 28% of GenAI users say their organisation has a GenAI policy, they know where it is, what it says, and that it is clear and up to date
- Training has not kept pace with adoption: half (50%) of all GenAI users have received no formal training at all
- Training could unlock wider use: 51% of the UK workforce say it would encourage them to use GenAI more often
Do business leaders understand GenAI?
In some businesses, using GenAI can affect a person’s reputation. So much so that nearly a quarter of UK workers (23%) believe there’s a stigma attached to using it, with senior leaders more likely to feel this way. Is this because hard-earned professional credibility is harder to justify when people are visibly relying on artificial intelligence?
Leaders need to articulate a clear purpose for the GenAI tools they deploy, and to create a culture that enables people and technology to thrive. On both fronts, there may be work to do.
Leaders at my company talk about the integration and use of GenAI...
Some 65% of GenAI users have not heard their leaders talk about the technology with a clear understanding of it: 30% hear incoherent messaging, 18% hear nothing at all, and 16% may simply not be listening.
Does your employer have a policy on use of GenAI in the workplace?
Fewer than half of GenAI users (44%) report that their company has a GenAI policy. 34% claim there is no policy at all, and 23% don’t know either way. What’s more, just 28% of GenAI users claim their company has a policy, that they know where to find it, what it says, and believe it’s clear and up to date.
This suggests governance is not simply about creating rules. It’s about ensuring workers know that those rules exist, they understand them, and feel confident about applying them in practice.
So the challenge for organisations is communication as much as compliance. Effective governance should enable responsible innovation, rather than simply creating another document that no one ever reads.
Are people being trained to use GenAI?
Despite GenAI adoption growing fast, many people are still teaching themselves how to use it. Half of those using GenAI have received no formal training, while only 20% have received any mandatory training. When training is given, it’s largely digital: 59% received it online, compared to 36% in person, and 18% through self-service portals. So it seems that millions of people currently using GenAI at work are self-taught, have had no official guidance on how large language models work, how to use them effectively, or how to handle data with care.
Support that workers claim to need to include GenAI in their daily tasks
Note: “Training and Capability building” is an aggregate of possible answers, including GenAI skills training at a foundational level, GenAI skills training at an advanced level, Evaluating/ fact-checking GenAI, Prompt engineering, Cybersecurity training, and Ethical Considerations; “Peer support and knowledge sharing” is an aggregate of possible answers, including Mentoring from colleagues experienced with GenAI, Internal knowledge sharing forums of communities, and Access to internal GenAI champions; “Leadership and culture” is an aggregate of possible answers, including Stronger leadership endorsement/ encouragement, and A more innovation-friendly culture.
More than half of people say that some form of training would encourage them to use GenAI more often, with only 20% of current users describing themselves as highly proficient. This suggests that the next phase of adoption may depend less on access to tools and more on investing in training.
What does a successful GenAI vision look like?
As GenAI starts to reshape tasks, roles and sectors, business leaders need to show they understand both the fundamentals and the trade-offs. The risk is that unqualified optimism can sound more like naivety than a clear vision.
Overall, the evidence from our survey suggests that success depends on more than simply deploying tools. Organisations need to equip their people with practical skills, provide clear and accessible guardrails, and build confidence through leaders who truly understand the technology. Those that can combine all three will be best positioned to unlock GenAI’s full potential and create lasting business value.
