Let’s play a game called “Who’s Really Working?” Spoiler: It’s not who you think.
Not so long ago, you probably had that one employee who spent half their day perfecting their fantasy football lineup, another who “worked from home” (translation: kept an eye on their dog and the latest Netflix drop), and the rest somewhere in between. Now, enter stage left: Artificial Intelligence. Or, as I like to call it, “Productivity’s favorite loophole.”
Here’s the plot twist nobody told you about: AI isn’t just automating your business. It’s automating your employees’ jobs too—sometimes for their benefit, and not necessarily yours.
The Rise of the “AI Quitter”
Let’s call them what they are: AI Quitters. These are the folks who saw ChatGPT, watched a couple YouTube tutorials, and realized they could get their daily work done in two hours flat. Suddenly, those “deep work blocks” look a lot like extended coffee breaks. The reward? Same paycheck, double the free time—without asking for a raise or even breaking a sweat.
Now, before you start drafting that new surveillance policy, take a breath. This isn’t just an employee problem; it’s a leadership blind spot. If you don’t step up and lead the AI parade, you’ll be stuck watching your staff march off with the benefits while your business treads water.
Why Your Business Might Be Paying for Ghost Productivity
Let’s be real: more “productivity” doesn’t always mean more profit. AI tools allow employees to automate the boring stuff, which should open the door for them to do higher-level, profit-driving work. But if you haven’t changed expectations or compensation models, you might just end up paying for a lot of empty hours.
Think of it as upgrading to a fancy self-driving car and then leaving it parked in the garage. Sure, it could take you somewhere new. Or you could just keep making the payments while it gathers dust.
Flip the Script: How to Turn AI Quitters into AI Achievers
The answer isn’t to become the office AI cop. It’s to become the AI coach. Here’s how you avoid building a team of overpaid spectators:
1. Educate Yourself First (Yes, You)
Don’t outsource your understanding of AI to a $1,000 “AI for Your Business” webinar or some free Facebook group that exists to upsell you into oblivion or just become full of the “help me for free” takers who will destroy your time. Get your hands dirty. YouTube is free with no commitment. There’s a tutorial for everything from automating emails to building chatbots that won’t embarrass you in front of clients. I’m not saying learn how to do everything, but use it to learn terms and concepts to help your strategy.
2. Document Your Processes
If you don’t know how things are supposed to work, you can’t automate—or improve—them. Map out every key workflow. I mean, actually write it down. If it feels tedious, remember: nothing is more tedious than redoing work because your AI “assistant” didn’t know step 7 existed. Just like every professional athlete, you have to start with the basics.
3. Collect Clean, Structured Data
Here’s the ugly truth about AI: garbage in, garbage out. Your data needs to be organized, consistent, and accessible. If your team is scribbling down leads on napkins or post it notes and uploading photos of whiteboards, you’re not ready. Get your digital house in order first. Shameless plug: you might take a look at Smartflows to jumpstart this process.
4. Incentivize Higher-Level Output
If your employees are getting the grunt work done in half the time, that’s awesome. Now, reward them for using that extra bandwidth to tackle more valuable projects, solve bigger problems, or help drive revenue. Tie bonuses or advancement to impact, not just hours clocked.
5. Create a Culture of Constant Improvement
Make “how could we do this better?” a team mantra. Host regular AI tool demos, hackathons, or “process improvement” Fridays. Show your team that mastering new tools is a path to advancement, not an excuse to coast.
Final Word: Don’t Get Left Behind by Your Own People
AI isn’t coming for your business. It’s already in your business—often hiding in your employees’ browsers. The difference between a company that scales and one that stagnates is simple: Are you leveraging AI to do more, grow faster, and build a team that wants to win? Or are you footing the bill for a bunch of AI Quitters perfecting their latte art?
The choice is yours. Start learning, start leading, and—if all else fails—at least make sure you’re the most productive slacker in the building.
Stay curious, stay caffeinated, and don’t let the robots have all the fun.
—Travis
