Survey: 33% of managers use AI for performance reviews

A Headway survey of 1,000 managers found that 33% had used AI to write feedback or prepare a performance review. The survey also found that 31% had used AI to help resolve team conflicts, while 27% had turned to it to draft uncomfortable conversations.

The 33% figure is lower than the 41% who said they had used AI to draft or revise a performance review in a similar survey a year earlier. Headway’s survey does not clarify whether managers use AI for light edits or generate review text with it.

Headway also found that 57% of managers had scripted or rehearsed a difficult conversation with AI before having it. Thalia-Maria Tourikis, a health coach and burnout prevention and recovery expert at Headway, said AI can help organize someone’s thoughts, but trust and empathy are better conveyed by a person.

Separately, Owl Labs’ State of Hybrid Work survey of 8,000 workers worldwide found that 58% believe their employer has deployed AI-based monitoring tools. The TechRadar report notes that performance reviews can affect financial compensation, but the Headway survey does not establish how much AI-generated or AI-assisted text influences managers’ decisions.