Fireside chat: When the machines took over (and what brought the humans back)

Keywords: People Strategy, AI, Sustainability, Psychological Wellbeing

Date: 19 June 2025, Dr Anna-Rosa le Roux, WorkLife Digital

Let me tell you the story of a fast-growing tech company that became known for doing what most companies only dreamed of.

They didn’t just experiment with artificial intelligence - they embedded it across their entire business.

• • • Customer support? Automated.

    • Data analysis? Instant.

    • Processes? Lightning fast.

On paper, they were winning. Costs were down. Productivity was up. Growth was accelerating.

But something quieter, far more dangerous, was happening beneath the surface. 

It started subtly. 

• • • The energy in meetings dipped. 

    • Brainstorming sessions became transactional.

    • The creative spark that once made the company special? Gone.

Then came the resignations. Three of their top engineers, people who had helped build the company from the ground up - handed in their notices within three weeks. And they weren’t leaving for more money or better titles. One of them simply said: “I don’t know what I’m here for anymore.”

That stopped the leadership team cold. They’d built a company where the machines were thriving, but the humans were quietly disappearing.

The CEO later admitted, “We got so good at making work faster, we forgot to make it meaningful.”

That’s when they realised they needed help.

Discovering the hidden story

The truth wasn’t in the performance dashboards. It wasn’t in the financial statements. It was in the suffering of their people and competitive short term financial goals.

Through a deep, honest assessment, they measured what really drives people: purpose, connection, psychological safety and meaning.

What they uncovered was painful.

• • • Psychological safety had collapsed.

    • People no longer felt they could speak up.

    • Roles had been broken into automated fragments  -  leaving employees feeling isolated and, in some cases, obsolete.

The story was clear. The AI was doing its job, but the humans no longer felt like they had one.

The leadership team faced a choice: Double down on efficiency and risk losing more people - or redesign the workplace to bring the humans back to life. They choose to fight for their people.

A people-first reset

The first thing they did was something most companies skip: They made well-being a daily priority. Not a wellness perk. Not a Friday yoga class. But an everyday part of how work got done.

• • • They developed a strategy to embed well-being into the rhythm of operations - making it visible, trackable, and meaningful.

    • They built a network of internal well-being champions - not senior managers, but everyday employees empowered to lead human-centred change within their teams.

    • They invested in their people leaders - equipping them with the tools and language to lead with empathy, not just efficiency.

    • And they did something most companies shy away from: they made well-being part of leadership accountability. Not just a number on a survey, but a real measure linked to business performance and sustainability.

Their formula became simple, but powerful: Human Centricity + Accountability = Bottom Line + Sustainability.

They didn’t chase culture as an add-on. They built it directly into how they led, how they worked, and how they made decisions.

Reigniting the human spark

They reimagined roles. AI continued to handle repetitive, process-driven tasks, but people reclaimed the creative, relational and strategic spaces that only humans can fill.

They made it safe to speak up again. Safe to challenge ideas. Safe to ask, “What are we doing, and why?”

Leaders evolved from top-down decision-makers to adaptive, collaborative guides. Teams began sharing responsibility. People felt their voices mattered again.

Within six months, the shifts were undeniable:

• • • Psychological safety rose by more than 20%.

    • Retention stabilised.

    • Innovation returned.

People started saying, “I’m proud to work here again.”

But the story didn’t end there.

Looking back - and forward

A year later, their ESG report included well-being for the first time. On earnings calls, investors started asking about their culture.

Job applicants mentioned the story they’d heard about how this company had turned things around - not because of a PR campaign, but because of what people inside the organisation were now saying.

Saving this company wasn’t about a tool. It wasn’t about a workshop. It wasn’t about chasing trends. It was about telling the truth, listening deeply and rebuilding - human to human.

The people they brought in didn’t fix them. They simply helped them see themselves clearly. And once they did, they knew how to fix themselves. That’s the real work.

The kind where a company doesn’t just survive - it becomes more whole, more human and more resilient.

Why this matters

Some companies still think well-being is a side project, but the evidence is overwhelming.

People-centric organisations outperform their competitors. Cultures that prioritise trust, well-being, and purpose regularly appear on the best-companies-to-work-for lists. And now, it’s not just good business - it’s a global expectation.

• • • The World Health Organisation has named workplace well-being a critical part of its Sustainable Development Goals.

    • The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) now makes well-being reporting mandatory.

    • Measuring and reporting on employee well-being is becoming a frontline accountability - not just for HR, but for boards and investors. 

Companies can no longer afford to treat people as an afterthought. Because in a world where machines can do almost everything faster and more efficiently, the human edge is more valuable than ever. Technology can scale, but only humans can create, lead and care.

The companies that thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones who have the most automation. They’ll be the ones who build workplaces where humans matter.

This company made that choice. And maybe now it’s time to ask: Is your organisation building a place where humans still matter?

Because the answer to that question might just decide whether your company is ready for the future, or already falling behind.

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WorkLife Digital is a consulting psychology firm dedicated to improving business sustainability by bringing scientific rigor to workplace resilience and performance. Our proprietary WorkLife Quotient (WLQ) tool provides organisation-wide analytics on mental wellbeing, engagement, burnout, resilience and the cultural and leadership factors that shape employee experience. These deeper insights enable customised strategies, targeted interventions, and leadership coaching that transform wellbeing data into real, measurable business value.

For more information, get in touch at anna-rosa@worklife.digital

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