Workday Study: AI Speeds Up Work, but System Disruptions Weigh on Swiss Employees
A new Workday study shows that AI already supports nearly half of Swiss employees in their day-to-day work. At the same time, fragmented systems and manual coordination cause stress for 83 percent of them. Trust in AI is closely linked to trust in the underlying systems.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of the day-to-day work of Swiss companies. However, a new study by Workday shows that fragmented systems and complex processes often hinder the benefits of AI. Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance, and IT, has published the Swiss findings of its study «The Copy/Paste Economy.».
The study shows that AI is already supporting employees in their day-to-day work. At the same time, complex processes and siloed systems continue to cause significant friction. Overall, 83 percent of employees in Switzerland report that dealing with processes and systems causes stress, at least some of the time.
The data shows that companies are not held back by a lack of employee engagement. However, the benefits of AI are not consistently felt throughout the entire workday. Just under half of respondents (49 percent) say that AI speeds up work in their organization. Nevertheless, many employees still spend a lot of time bridging gaps between different applications, data sources, and processes.
Overall, 70 percent say they spend a lot of time moving information between different systems or tools. An equal number spend a lot of time reconciling conflicting data or reports from various business systems. 68 percent enter the same information multiple times. Fourteen percent spend at least seven hours a week moving or reformatting information between systems. This burden has a direct impact on employees’ sense of progress: 78 percent experience days—at least occasionally—when they are very busy but perceive little real progress.
The results show that the challenge does not lie in employees not working hard enough. Rather, their productivity is limited by work practices that require manually transferring information, reconciling data, and coordinating processes across different systems.
«AI can effectively reduce the workload on employees—but only if it’s deployed where the work actually takes place, namely directly within the core applications and workflows for HR, finance, and planning,» says Fred Alran, General Manager for the Alpine Region at Workday. «When relevant data, processes, and AI come together, companies can reduce manual handoffs and better support decision-making. This transforms isolated AI usage into a measurable contribution to more productive work.»
Trustworthy systems are the foundation of trust in AI
The study also shows that trust in AI is closely linked to trust in the underlying systems and data. Overall, 71 percent of respondents in Switzerland say that their trust in AI increases when they can trust the systems and data being used. Particularly when it comes to sensitive applications in HR, finance, and planning, data sovereignty, data protection, transparent processes, and governance are crucial for building trust among employees and other stakeholders.
To harness the potential of AI in a sustainable way, companies must therefore address two requirements: They must reduce friction in processes and system landscapes while simultaneously integrating AI into secure, transparent, and trustworthy core systems. When used correctly, AI can complement human expertise, reduce routine tasks, and create space for value-adding activities.
About the study
The survey was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Workday from March 2 to 24, 2026. The survey included 6,100 employees worldwide in the fields of finance, HR, IT, and operations. All respondents actively work with AI and are employed by organizations with at least 500 employees. 200 participants were from Germany, 50 from Austria, and 100 from Switzerland.
For more information about the study and Workday, visit https://www.workday.com.
