Embracing AI with Mentoring: Senior Employees’ Reactions to Organizational Pressures to Adopt AI

Abstract

With the increasing proportion of senior workers in the labor force and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, this study sheds light on the standing of senior employees in the workplace and how organizations can reskill their employees. Drawing on the job demand-resources model, we propose that organizational AI adoption pressure may heighten AI learning anxiety among senior workers, as they feel less confident and anxious about learning AI. We also investigate the subsequent impact of AI learning anxiety on AI decision proficiency and task performance. However, we argue that mentoring can buffer the negative effect of AI learning anxiety on AI decision proficiency by providing social support and guidance. We test our hypothetical model using a three-wave survey with 188 participants recruited via Prolific. Our findings show that organizational AI adoption pressure is positively related to AI learning anxiety, and this association was stronger for workers with longer job tenure. Additionally, AI learning anxiety is negatively related to AI decision proficiency. Mentoring moderates the relationship between AI learning anxiety and AI decision proficiency, such that employees receiving less mentoring are less likely to maintain their AI decision proficiency when experiencing high AI learning anxiety as compared to those receiving more mentoring. Finally, AI decision proficiency is positively related to task performance.

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