Overview

• An HBR/Stanford/BetterUp survey of 1,150 U.S. full‑time employees found 40% received workslop in the past month, with an average of 15.4% of incoming content qualifying.
• Respondents reported spending an average of one hour and 56 minutes fixing each instance, a time drain some coverage translates into roughly $186 per employee per month.
• About half of surveyed employees said they viewed colleagues who sent workslop as less creative, capable and reliable, signaling a hit to collaboration and trust.
• Workslop flows peer‑to‑peer as well as up and down the hierarchy, with professional services and technology cited as the hardest‑hit sectors.
• Researchers and consultants urge leaders to set clear usage standards, curate or delete much AI output, keep humans in the loop and treat AI agents like hires requiring training and ongoing oversight.