Research by Cloverleaf found that AI systems gave less constructive advice to employees with less workplace power<\/strong>, often siding with them instead of helping them understand the other person or repair the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\nQuality of Advice Fell 40%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe study found that when the person seeking advice had less authority, the average quality of AI coaching fell from 3.5 out of 5 to 2.1<\/strong>, a decline of roughly 40%.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe researchers said the difference was more strongly associated with power dynamics than with the personalities involved in the workplace conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the person asking for advice held authority over the other employee, AI models were more willing to challenge their interpretation of events and assign some responsibility to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when the employee had less power, the models were more likely to accept that employee’s version of events and recommend protective measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bosses Were Often Cast as the Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe pattern became particularly pronounced when conflicts involved managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across two scenarios involving a boss, AI models described the boss as the problem in 60% of responses<\/strong>, while providing a more sympathetic interpretation of the boss in only 3% of responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe researchers described this as a roughly 20-to-1 tilt in how the models interpreted the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This raises concerns about AI reinforcing an employee’s initial assumptions instead of helping them examine the situation from multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI Rarely Encouraged Relationship Repair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother striking finding involved the kind of solutions AI recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across 75 conversations<\/strong>, the models generated 638 distinct pieces of advice. Only three encouraged genuine investment in repairing the workplace relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe remaining 635 suggestions focused largely on surviving, managing or winning the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conflicts involving managers, 27 of 30 responses<\/strong> raised leaving the job as a legitimate option. Suggestions included updating a r\u00e9sum\u00e9, exploring another team or considering whether the workplace was suitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy This Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nEmployees may increasingly turn to AI precisely when they are frustrated and unwilling to immediately approach a manager or HR department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes the nature of AI advice important. Advice that simply validates an employee’s interpretation could potentially escalate workplace conflicts rather than resolve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers stressed that the findings are not an argument against using AI for workplace support. Instead, they suggested that AI coaching should be evaluated on whether it encourages self-awareness, accountability, understanding of others and relationship repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Study Has Limitations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe researchers also cautioned that the findings are based on only 75 conversations and reflect specific AI model versions tested on a particular date. AI behaviour can change as models are updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the research highlights an important challenge as AI becomes a workplace adviser: being supportive does not necessarily mean taking the user’s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary:<\/strong> A Cloverleaf study found that AI workplace coaching became roughly 40% less constructive for employees with less power<\/strong>, with models more likely to side with them and recommend self-protection. The research also found that AI rarely encouraged relationship repair, raising questions about whether workplace AI should be judged by how well it promotes accountability, empathy and constructive conflict resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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