Companies doing more with less in AI era. Workers can take advantage
The era of artificial intelligence is greatly reshaping the workforce. As companies deal with a tight labor market, they are looking for ways to increase productivity with technology. At the same time, employees are looking for ways to increase their skills so that they can grow alongside their companies, not only to keep their jobs but also to advance their careers.
“Employers and leaders are being asked to do more with less, and that means you need every person in your organization to be the best possible version of themselves because output and productivity need to increase,” said Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, an education benefits company that provides a platform for employees to earn degrees and certifications to advance their careers.
Shah, who was named to the 2025 CNBC Changemakers list, said disruptions such as artificial intelligence that reshape companies and the economy require the workforce to be more resilient. This is necessary for both employees and their companies to remain competitive. Moreover, this form of workplace mobility, or the ability of workers to adapt and evolve to fill in-demand jobs, is a key indicator of how companies and employees will adapt to these disruptions or be left behind, Shah said.
“CEOs and their leadership teams are asking, ‘How do I do more with less?'” Shah said. “They spend a lot of time thinking about the question,” he said. “So things like making sure the best people possible stay around, those with domain expertise and knowledge, are really important.”
The key to this, Shah said, is to focus on building career ladders within organizations: Not only do these employees develop into critical talent, they’re also more likely to stay at their companies.
Paul Marchand, Human Resources Director Charter CommunicationsThe telecommunications company, which employs more than 90,000 people, said there is a “virtuous circle” when it comes to implementing such talent development programmes.
“The more someone works with us and grows and develops, the more committed they will be to the customer experience, making sure customers are satisfied and taken care of, which will lead to the conservative nature of the customer,” Marchand said. “That’s ultimately our business goal.”
In 2023, Charter launched a free training benefit with Guild that provides a structured career advancement program for employees. To date, about 13% of the company’s workforce has enrolled in or completed courses, with the vast majority of those employees in front-line, customer-facing roles, Marchand said.
Charter data showed that employees who took advantage of the program were promoted at a 20% higher rate than other employees. The data showed that these employees were also 19% more likely to stay with the company.
“Instead of, ‘Yeah, it’s just a job,’ we see the desire for a career path and a promotable talent,” he said. “They feel like they’re part of a team now, they feel connected, they feel empowered, and they feel like there’s a path for them, and that opens up all these conversations.”
In this workforce environment where companies are seeking highly productive employees, making sure such programs are available and employees are aware of such avenues is critical, Shah said.
“People who are willing to invest in themselves, people who are willing to commit to their employers, and people who are willing to develop their competencies and get better at their jobs are all becoming increasingly important,” he said. “You’re starting to see employers grappling with this issue and then asking themselves: ‘What can I do to help my workforce keep up with what’s required?'”
