12 countries, 15,600 participants… and this observation drawn up for the second time by the HP study: in France, only 1 in 5 employees (21%) say they have a good, “serene and productive” relationship with their work. The youngest – Generation Z – are the only ones to display a score of 28%, identical to the world average.
Six ideas to thrive at work
It is all the more unfortunate that this is the most important point for respondents, who would like to feel more “fulfilled in their work”: 75% of French people place fulfillment at work at the top of their list of priorities. It is immediately followed (74%) by confidence “ in their skills to succeed professionally ».
74% of business leaders recognize that it is increasingly urgent to make changes and rethink the relationship at work, an increase of 7 points compared to 2023. LThe survey identified 6 essential areas, drawing a sort of map of the satisfied worker: fulfillment, leadership, people at the heart of the decision-making process, skills, equipment and finally the work space (including teleworking).
The French are making progress this year on the “skills” axis, gaining self-confidence. On the other hand, they say they are not encouraged to express their emotions or prioritize their well-being. They also report a loss of flexibility, particularly when teleworking, leading to a drop in the score on the “workspace” axis.
A daily life at work softened by AI
The most significant figure undoubtedly relates to AI: in 2024, the use of AI among knowledge workers French jumped to 53%, compared to 33% in 2023. The figure even climbs to 80% for generation Z!
Globally, workers who use AI report better job satisfaction, marking an 11-point improvement compared to their non-user colleagues. We see this year that the “ Work Relationship Index Score » is clearly influenced by AI.
Job satisfaction requires more personalization: benefiting from the recommendations of generative AI, communicating and collaborating more easily remotely with improved audio and video experiences, perfecting your presentations during videoconferences thanks to real-time comments, creating and edit your photos more quickly using software powered by AI… There are multiple use cases. In France for example, 61% of knowledge workers are looking for a work experience adapted to their needs and 81% of them are even ready to give up part of their salary to benefit from a form of personalization at work, leading to more comfort in their daily lives.
The benefits of AI in terms of productivity are therefore highlighted, but they are not the only ones: 60% of AI users in France believe that it makes their work easier and 55% say that it offers them new possibilities to appreciate their job and find more pleasure in it.
A signal to managers
Finally, be careful, two figures from this 2024 study alert us. In France, a third (36%) of knowledge workers who use AI say their company does not provide adequate training on the subject. And 63% believe it is important for their leaders to demonstrate emotional intelligence, but only one in five find their managers truly empathetic!
The authors of the study therefore invite all managers to consider AI and to contact HR to ensure that the training offer is up to par… Without forgetting to train themselves too!
