Canadian workers say AI adds friction, Ricoh finds

Ricoh has published research showing a gap between Canadian business leaders' confidence in workplace technology and employees' day-to-day experience of using it. The findings are based on a survey of more than 2,000 employees and decision-makers across the US and Canada.

In Canada, 85% of business decision-makers said workplace technology tools, systems and processes are connected. Yet 76% of employees said their jobs would be easier if those systems worked better together.

The data points to a wider divide over whether recent technology spending is improving work. While 86% of Canadian decision-makers said they were confident their AI investments were delivering the expected value, 59% of employees said AI creates friction or extra work. Another 57% said time spent managing workplace technology tools interferes with productivity.

Ricoh's survey suggests these strains are not limited to AI. In Canada, 63% of employees said workflow and process-management tools create friction or extra work, while 60% said the same of information, knowledge and data-access tools.

Integration gap

The research also found differing views on how well technology works across departments. Among Canadian decision-makers, 66% said their organisation's technology is highly or well integrated across teams such as IT, HR and facilities, compared with 54% of employees.

Employees also reported a mismatch between what they want and what their employers provide. Some 62% of Canadian employees said there is a disconnect between the tools their organisation thinks would be most useful and the tools that would be most useful to them.

The same divide appears in consultation before new systems are introduced. While 69% of decision-makers said their organisations usually seek employee input before rolling out new technology, only 41% of employees said that usually happens.

The survey indicates many organisations are introducing tools faster than they are helping staff learn to use them. Nearly three in four decision-makers in Canada, or 74%, said their organisation invests in new workplace technology faster than it helps employees use it effectively.

"AI creates value when it makes work easier, not when it adds another layer of complexity," said Carsten Bruhn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ricoh North America. "Strategy must drive technology decisions, not the other way around. That strategy should start with people, and understanding what employees need to do their jobs effectively. Leaders need to understand how work gets done and where it breaks down before determining where AI and other technologies can make the greatest impact. The opportunity is to connect technology to the way people actually work, so adoption, productivity and business value improve together."

Security concerns

The survey also highlighted potential governance and security issues when employees work around approved systems. In Canada, 43% of employees said they use non-approved tools to get work done more easily at least monthly.

Ricoh linked that behaviour to the difficulty many staff report in finding information or moving between disconnected systems. The data also showed a gap in perceptions of AI governance: 89% of Canadian decision-makers said employees have clear guidance on responsible AI use, while 62% of employees agreed.

"With AI deployments becoming more agentic, organisations cannot scale adoption without addressing the disconnect between leadership vision and daily work practices. Fragmented technology, data and workflows create avoidable complexity that many employees are left to navigate themselves," said Amy Loomis, Group Vice President of Workplace Solutions at IDC. "Ricoh's findings show that many leaders do not always see the disconnect their employees face, and closing it takes shared priorities across departments, strong governance and a common foundation for data and workflows, which can move AI from isolated use cases to scalable business value."

Hybrid work was another area where friction emerged. Across North America, 25% of hybrid employees said they had difficulty collaborating with colleagues in different locations, compared with 16% of fully in-person employees and 14% of fully remote employees.

Ricoh surveyed 2,017 adults employed full-time at organisations with at least 10 employees, including 506 respondents in Canada. The sample included employees as well as directors and senior leaders with influence over AI, workplace technology, workplace experience, operations or digital transformation.

Bob Lamendola, Chief Digital Services and Delivery Officer of Ricoh North America, said the findings show how operational shortcuts can create risk when approved systems are too cumbersome to use. "When employees have to search across multiple systems, re-enter information or use unapproved tools just to complete routine work, those workarounds create friction and expose organisations to greater risk," he said. "Organisations need to better orchestrate the technology, information and workflows they already have, while identifying where agentic capabilities can support manual work. Connecting those components can reduce risk and make the approved path the easiest path for employees to get work done."