“Workslop” could be the word of the year, with one local HR expert warning of its effects on productivity and trust in the workplace. A term coined by the Harvard Business Review, “workslop” refers to low-quality, AI-generated content such as reports or slide decks that look polished but lack accurate and comprehensive information. Andrea Greenhous, […]
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“Workslop” could be the word of the year, with one local HR expert warning of its effects on productivity and trust in the workplace.
A term coined by the Harvard Business Review, “workslop” refers to low-quality, AI-generated content such as reports or slide decks that look polished but lack accurate and comprehensive information.
Andrea Greenhous, CEO of Ottawa-based firm Vision2Voice Communications, said “workslop” has started showing up in workplaces that have been mandated to increase their use of AI, usually without proper guidelines.
“People are under pressure. Organizations are expecting all of these gains and there’s a real push for organizations to improve performance and productivity. AI can help (employees) be productive, but that’s the problem. (Employees are) not thinking critically about what they’re producing and just passing it off to the next person,” Greenhous said.
AI can change an organization for the better, she said, but it comes with a deliberate effort to get it right.
“My entire career I've helped organizations implement new technology (and) systems and try to build new cultures, all to achieve a goal. Very often that fails because they forget that people have to use the technology or system. And unless you are very deliberate about helping people through the messy middle of the change, you're not going to achieve results,” she said.
Rather than blaming individuals, Greenhous said the problem at the root of “workslop” lies with organizations.
“I think it’s an organization and system problem more than an employee problem, because the employee is responding to the environment that they’re working in, the pressure on productivity to use AI. But what does the leader do?”
If the trend continues, she said, organizations could pay the price as employees become frustrated and distrustful of colleagues who produce sub-par work, especially if the task needs to be re-done by someone else.
An over-reliance on AI without proper guidelines can also deteriorate an employee’s mental health, leading to decreased productivity, she added.
In a LinkedIn post Monday, Greenhous said “workslop” could be the word of the year for 2026.
“I don’t think this problem is going to go away very easily,” she said. “I hope I’m wrong … I hope people start recognizing it and fixing the problem.
“We really need to be taking a change management approach to this and it’s more critical than ever. … If we’re not using AI properly and it puts more pressure on employees, what’s going to happen is more burnout, more stress and more leave.”
In order to address the problem, Greenhous said leaders need to get serious with AI strategies.
“Create a vision for AI with clear guidelines and results you expect. You need to help people understand that it does take human judgement to sift through this stuff and that needs to be applied,” she said.
Greenhous said that employees that see “workslop” should denounce it to break the pattern. She also added that it’s imperative that employees understand the gravity of the situation.
“You never just communicate something once. It’s got to be repeated. Leaders need to share their own experiences with ‘workslop’ and make it real for people. Help people understand the cost of ‘workslop’ to the organization.”
Lost productivity due to “workslop” could cost organizations in the long run. Research from U.S.-based BetterUp Labs and Stanford University showed that it was costing organizations about US$186 per employee per month, or about US$9 million per year for a 10,000-person firm.
At the leadership level, Greenhous said comprehensive work needs to be done to alleviate the pressure that leads to “workslop.”
“Listening is a big part of employee communications. So, understanding where the friction is. It’s an ongoing conversation in organizations and it should be. (Leaders) should listen and adjust rather than just mandating AI and then walking out the door and expecting to have a huge return on investment,” she said.
Greenhous said she believes that AI can be a powerful tool that makes a real difference in the workplace, but organizations need to readjust the way they go about using it.
“AI has incredible capacity to improve productivity, if it’s used properly and thoughtfully. It’s really about pushing people to use it properly and thoughtfully. It’s a double-edged sword,” she said.
