AI rollouts put retention focus on overworked top performers
Wellhub says HR leaders are using wellness programs to keep key employees as AI projects add new demands to high performers.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Companies pushing artificial intelligence into daily work may be creating a retention problem among the employees they rely on most. Carolee Gearhart, chief revenue officer at wellness platform Wellhub, told HR Brew that high performers often carry the extra work of AI adoption, training and oversight, raising their risk of burnout.
A Wellhub survey found that 88% of people leaders identify keeping top talent as their leading priority, according to the company. The same survey found that 85% are using wellness programs as part of that effort.
Gearhart told HR Brew that employers are trying to make AI improve performance, while also facing signs that it can intensify employee strain. She said the same technology push can either lift output or increase burnout, depending on how companies manage the work around it.
Why top performers are under pressure
HR teams are paying close attention to top performers because those workers are often central to AI projects, according to Gearhart. They may be asked to test tools, guide implementation, monitor how systems are used and model new ways of working for colleagues.
Gearhart told HR Brew that those employees are often given more responsibility on top of their existing jobs. In some cases, she said, they also help teammates build the skills needed to use new AI tools.
That creates a risk for employers if those workers become exhausted and leave. Gearhart said companies that fail to watch the employees with the most valuable skills could face consequences, particularly when those workers are helping the wider organization adapt.
Wellness programs become a retention tool
Many people leaders are responding by putting more attention on employee well-being, Gearhart told HR Brew. She said top performers, along with many other employees, increasingly expect companies to offer wellness support.
Gearhart said employers need to communicate that they see employees as people with needs beyond work. She told HR Brew that staying quiet on that point is one of the larger mistakes companies make.
The Wellhub survey numbers suggest that wellness programs have moved from a fringe benefit to a retention strategy for many HR leaders. According to Wellhub, most people leaders in the survey are already using those programs to help hold onto key employees.
Gearhart said HR teams should look at individual needs rather than treat wellness as a generic perk. She pointed to sleep, eating habits and broader resilience as areas companies may consider when supporting employees facing new pressures from AI-related work.
The warning for employers is direct: AI projects depend on the people asked to lead them. If those employees absorb the extra workload without support, the push to adopt new technology could weaken the teams expected to make it work.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.