Regardless of where you are in your career, AI is likely changing how you work and will likely continue to do so at an accelerating pace for the rest of your working life. To adapt to these changes, make the most of AI’s possibilities, and ensure workers have the skills they need to thrive. Organizations should revive and reimagine mentorship so employees at all stages of their careers can benefit.
It’s not that workers, by and large, are afraid of AI. A recent Deloitte survey reveals how both early-stage and experienced workers are adapting to this technology. According to the survey, over 80% of both early career and older workers say that AI has improved the quality of their work.
However, AI is impacting younger and older workers differently, and each needs different kinds of learning experiences to adapt to and thrive in an AI-driven world.
Consider how AI is increasingly automating the very foundational tasks from which early career workers learn and gain experience, for example, preparing reports, analyzing simple data sets, and note-taking in meetings. In the past, new hires gained experience and confidence by gradually taking on responsibility in a supportive, task-driven environment. With AI’s ability to perform many of these foundational tasks, early career workers need more support than ever in gaining the foundational experience and skills needed to develop and grow.
On the other hand, many tenured workers want a clear roadmap for learning how AI can improve their work quality and efficiency today. They need to learn how to infuse AI into their everyday work and use it to help guide their decision-making.
Luckily, early career and tenured workers have an excellent solution to these skills challenges — each other. Reimagining the mentorship relationship could mean that each group can teach the other critical skills.
Done correctly, it’s an effective solution to a very real challenge. But at the moment, both early career and experienced employees say they struggle to find the right mentorship opportunities. According to Deloitte’s survey, less than a third of early career workers have either formal or informal mentors, and only a fourth of tenured workers say they do.
The AI Generation Gap
Not surprisingly, the survey found that younger workers feel more comfortable with AI than older workers. In fact, one person interviewed said AI was “that first person you ask before going to a manager” for advice on a variety of topics.
Other findings from the survey underscore this age difference:
-
83% of early career workers use AI tools in their jobs, compared to 68% of tenured workers.
-
77% of early career workers believe AI will help them move up in their careers, compared to 56% of tenured workers.
As remote and hybrid work continues, there have been fewer opportunities for hands-on training and experiential learning, which has limited early career workers’ ability to acquire foundational skills. These include communication and emotional intelligence. For some, AI is compounding that problem. According to the survey, 28% of early career workers report having fewer opportunities for on-the-job learning due to AI, compared with 19% of tenured employees.
Since AI will likely supplant at least some early-stage skills that are (or were) fundamental to learning and building a career, like compiling economic and financial trends data, making pitch decks or spreadsheets comparing company valuations, early career workers need new ways to build the experience and skills needed to develop and grow.
The Positive Results of Two-Way Mentorship
In two-way mentorship programs, tenured workers teach their younger colleagues interpersonal “soft” skills that will help them be better teammates and develop leadership skills. (These skills are in demand — 38% of early career workers say they want to learn to communicate better, for example.) Mentorship programs have been shown to reduce skills gaps, and younger workers get to experiment in a safe setting.
On the other side, tech-savvy younger workers can help tenured employees learn the AI skills they need to blossom later in their careers. (This is especially necessary since tenured workers are more likely to prioritize leadership development over improving their AI skills.)
When combining their experience with newfound AI savvy, older workers can better determine things like the most appropriate AI investments in their organization, how best to train workers, and how to improve productivity and deepen business insights.
Rebalancing Knowledge for a Changing Era
In an organization that endeavors to develop both tech and human skills, AI power users will gain the skillsets needed to advance their careers and their company’s AI efforts. While the two-way mentorship model is unconventional — at the moment — it could become the norm as more organizations adapt their workforces to ever-changing realities.
Consider a two-way mentorship model to keep your talent adaptable and prepared as technology continues to change how we work.