Skip to content

Team AI training guide · By Yes AI

Running AI training when staff are worried about it

Published 5 min read

Some staff arrive at AI training curious, some sceptical and some worried about their jobs. A session that ignores the worry gets polite silence and little change afterwards. This guide covers what to settle and say before the session, how to run it, and which consultation obligations may apply.

Talk through training for a cautious teamCall (03) 9003 0111Book a free workshop scoping call

Quick answer

Name the worries directly before the session: staff are usually asking whether AI will change or replace their job, whether using it looks like cheating, and whether they will be judged for mistakes. Tell them what is and is not planned, involve them in choosing tasks, keep practice low-stakes, and let sceptics test the tool on their own work. If AI will significantly change jobs, check your consultation obligations first.

Small group of staff in a Ballarat community health office talking with a facilitator around a table

What are staff actually worried about?

The worries are usually specific, and naming them helps. The National AI Centre notes that some people avoid admitting AI use because they think it may be seen as cheating, or worry about looking lazy or less capable. Others worry about their role changing or disappearing, about being judged on mistakes while they learn, or about putting their name to output they do not trust. Sceptics often have a different concern: that AI tools give confident wrong answers. On particular tasks they are right, and the session should treat that as useful knowledge.

  • Will this change or replace my job?
  • Will using it look like cheating or laziness?
  • Will I be judged for mistakes while I learn?
  • Can I trust what it produces?

What should managers say before the session?

Say what has been decided and what has not. If the organisation is introducing an approved tool so people can do their current jobs with less routine drafting, say that. If changes to roles are being considered, do not claim otherwise, because staff will remember. Explain why the training is happening, what the rules are, and that nobody will be marked on the exercises. The National AI Centre says a people-first approach should be fully transparent and that AI should not replace people's judgement or make them feel redundant. Where possible, the message should come from the team's own manager, who can answer follow-up questions.

Do we have to consult staff before introducing AI?

Training on its own may not trigger formal consultation. The change it supports might. The Fair Work Commission explains that an enterprise agreement must contain a term requiring the employer to consult employees about a major workplace change likely to have a significant effect on them, and the model consultation term covers a definite decision to introduce a major change to production, program, organisation, structure or technology. The National AI Centre also says meaningful consultation with workers is essential when introducing AI. Check the agreement or award that covers your staff, and get advice if roles will change.

The consultation term must also allow employees to be represented during consultation about a major change. This is administrative guidance, not legal advice; the Fair Work Ombudsman or a workplace relations adviser can help with a specific situation.

How should the session be run for a cautious group?

Design choices make the most difference. Involve staff in choosing the tasks: the National AI Centre points out that people closest to the work often know where AI can help and where it could create new risks. Start with low-risk tasks where the tool assists and a person decides, which matches the Centre's advice to choose a task where AI can assist, not decide. Keep first attempts private so nobody has to show a poor result. Run a separate session for senior leaders, since their presence changes what junior staff will admit they do not understand.

  • Tasks chosen with the team.
  • Exercises where the person reviews the output and makes the decision.
  • No scores, rankings or individual results reported.
  • A clear statement of what will not be measured.

What about sceptics who think the tools do not work?

Give them work to do. Sceptics are often careful checkers, and checking outputs against the source is a core part of using these tools safely. Ask them to test the tool on a task they know well and find where it fails. Record the failures as findings: a task where the tool is unreliable belongs on a not-worth-it list, which protects everyone who might otherwise use it there. A sceptic who sees the tool handle one tedious task acceptably, and fail on another, leaves with evidence about both.

How do you keep trust after the session?

Report back on what changed because of what staff said, including policy questions answered and tasks dropped as poor candidates. Keep a way for people to raise concerns after the day, since some concerns only form once people try the tool on live work. The National AI Centre suggests giving teams a voice in how AI is used, through practical ways for staff to shape it. If the organisation later decides on changes to roles, start that consultation separately from training, so the two are not confused.

Common concerns and practical responses

ConcernWhat often sits behind itBefore the sessionIn the room
My job will be replacedUncertainty about plansState what is decided and what is notWork on tasks people chose
Using AI is cheatingUnclear expectationsPublish when AI use is expected and allowedShow approved uses openly
I will look slow or incompetentFear of public mistakesSay exercises are not markedPrivate first attempts, pair work by choice
It gives wrong answersExperience of real errorsInvite sceptics to bring test tasksMake finding errors part of the exercise
It is more work, not lessTime pressureAgree time for practice after the sessionPick tasks that take time today

Practical checklist

  • Write down what has and has not been decided about AI and roles.
  • Check whether the change requires consultation under your agreement or award.
  • Collect tasks from staff before the session instead of choosing for them.
  • Tell attendees in writing that exercises will not be marked or reported individually.
  • Arrange a separate session for senior leaders if they would otherwise attend.
  • Set up a way for staff to raise concerns after the session.

Common questions

Should attendance be compulsory?

If staff will use an approved AI tool at work, the rules on what goes in and what must be checked apply to them, so covering those rules for everyone is reasonable. The amount of hands-on practice each person needs varies by role. Making the rules session compulsory and the deeper practice optional is one way to respect different starting points.

Will saying AI will not replace anyone reassure people?

Only if it is true and the organisation can stand behind it. Staff test reassurance against what happens next. If the honest position is that no decisions have been made, say that, and explain when they will be made and how staff will be involved. A specific, accurate statement does more for trust than a broad promise that later needs qualifying.

What if employee representatives ask about the training?

Involve them early and give them the same information as staff: what the tool is, what the rules are, and what is and is not planned. Where a consultation term applies to a major change, the Fair Work Commission notes it must allow employees to be represented. Keeping training separate from any later change to roles makes both conversations clearer.

Should managers attend with their teams?

Usually not in the same session. Senior people in the room can change what junior staff are willing to admit they do not understand. A separate, shorter session for managers on what to expect from their teams, how to check outputs and how to support practice afterwards suits both groups.

Can staff choose not to use AI tools?

That is a decision for the organisation and depends on the role. Some organisations leave the choice to staff for most tasks while setting rules for everyone who does use the tools. If a role will require AI use, say so before the session and explain why, so people do not find out afterwards.

Sources and further reading

Continue planning

Plan a workshop around your team’s work

Describe the roles in your team, the tasks they want to practise and the tools you already use. We can discuss a suitable workshop format and scope. Keep staff records, customer documents and account credentials out of this enquiry.

Talk through training for a cautious teamCall (03) 9003 0111Book a free workshop scoping call