A Mixed-Method Examination of AI Use at Work: Benefits and Harms to Employee Well-Being and the Work-Family Interface

Abstract

Employee use of AI in the workplace has led to benefits such as increased productivity and efficiency, but it is unclear how this extends to the work-family interface. By enabling employees to accomplish work tasks more quickly and allowing them to focus on more meaningful work, AI may reduce work-family conflict and enhance work-family enrichment. However, given the multifaceted nature of AI use and ongoing concerns regarding possible harms to employee-wellbeing and other outcomes, resistance exists among some employees (Bankins et al., 2024; Golgeci et al., 2025). Thus, the three aims of this mixed-method study were to examine (1) the relationships between AI use in the workplace, work-family conflict, and work-family enrichment, (2) the moderating role of AI resistance in the relationship between AI use at work and work-family enrichment, and (3) employees’ perceptions of how AI use at work is enhancing and/or harming their well-being across the work-nonwork interface. Results from a sample of 584 Prolific employees showed the use of AI at work was positively associated with work enriching family (β = .50, p < .001), however AI resistance did not moderate this relationship. Notably, AI use at work was also positively related to work interfering with family (β = .12, p = .012). Employees broadly viewed AI as enhancing task facilitation and well-being across the work-nonwork interface, but some individuals noted that AI hindered task completion which was associated with negative well-being. These findings underscore the dual nature of AI use in the workplace and the need for organizations to balance productivity and efficiency with employee well-being.