When Lincoln employees won't use the AI tools you bought

Common questions from Lincoln leaders

Is this resistance, or is it exhaustion?

Mostly exhaustion. Gartner's research found 73% of HR leaders report employees experiencing change fatigue, and 74% say managers aren't equipped to lead change. In Lincoln, where Nelnet, Ameritas, Bryan Health, and the State of Nebraska have all rolled out tooling changes in the last 18 months, layering AI on top without reducing other change load is the fastest way to lose the room.

Why are employees gaming the metrics we set?

Because the metrics are gameable. Token spend, login frequency, and 'used AI today' counts get padded the moment they're tied to evaluations. Replace activity metrics with outcome metrics: cycle-time reduction, error reduction, customer outcomes.

Our managers don't know how to lead this. What do we do?

Equip them before rollout, not after. Gartner's 2026 CHRO research found organizations that adapt change plans based on employee feedback are 4x more likely to achieve change success. That requires managers who can hear feedback and adjust — which means giving managers training, language, and authority to slow things down when needed.

Do approved tool lists help?

Yes — and most companies don't have one. Express-Harris found only 36% of companies provide a list of approved or preferred AI tools, and 83% of employees say they want formal training. The combination of clarity and skill cuts most visible resistance.