Blog - Month: September 2026
AI ‘Botsitting’ Is Costing Employees Hours
AI ‘Botsitting’ Is Costing Employees Hours
Artificial intelligence is supposed to save employees time by taking mundane tasks off their plates and helping them work more efficiently. But a new study suggests workers are spending nearly as much time supervising AI as they spend getting useful work out of it.
A report from workplace AI company Glean found that employees spend 37% of their AI-related time “botsitting” — checking AI’s output, correcting errors, rerunning prompts and providing missing context. That compares with 36% of their AI time spent using the technology to produce work.
In practical terms, for every hour employees spend getting usable work from AI, they spend roughly another hour dealing with its shortcomings, the study concludes. For employers investing heavily in AI, that hidden labor may complicate the technology’s promised return on investment.
Employers may need to reconsider how extensively they integrate AI into their operations if employees spend an inordinate amount of time achieving results similar to those they produced without it.
The human cost of AI
Glean defines botsitting as the work required to make AI usable, including supplying missing context, reviewing its output, debugging mistakes, rerunning prompts and cleaning up answers that sound convincing but are wrong.
The company surveyed 6,000 digital workers and found that 87% use AI at work. About three-quarters said the technology makes them more productive, estimating that they save about 11 hours a week.
However, just 13% said AI has improved their organization’s overall performance. One possible reason for this disconnect is the amount of human oversight the technology requires. According to the report:
- Workers spend an average of 6.4 hours a week botsitting.
- Employees spend more than a quarter of their AI-related time learning how to use the technology and building AI agents.
Employers should therefore be cautious about counting every hour theoretically saved through AI as a genuine productivity gain. If an employee uses AI to complete a task faster but then has to verify facts, correct errors and repeatedly refine the output, some of the time saved is lost.
An invisible workload
Botsitting can also create an HR challenge because much of the work may go unnoticed.
Employees are often expected to incorporate AI into their jobs without having other responsibilities reduced. As a result, reviewing AI-generated output can become an added responsibility rather than a replacement for other work.
Glean found that employees who spend more time refining AI output are more likely to report feeling exhausted by the process. Workers who spend the most time botsitting are also significantly more likely to be looking for another job.
For managers and HR departments, these findings raise questions about workload, burnout and whether employees are receiving enough training and support.
Making AI work for employees
Employers should consider the human labor required when calculating the costs and benefits of AI. Simply purchasing AI tools and encouraging employees to use them may not deliver the expected productivity gains.
Organizations can start by identifying which tasks AI handles reliably and which require substantial human review. Managers should also track how much time employees spend correcting AI output rather than assume it is saving time.
Training is just as important. Employees need guidance on which tools to use, how to write effective prompts, what information can safely be entered into AI systems and when AI output requires additional verification.
Most importantly, businesses may want to view AI as a tool that supports employees rather than one that operates independently. Human judgment remains essential.
How to Deal with the ‘Monday Morning Workers’ Comp Surprise’
The “Monday morning surprise” — the term for when an employee approaches you on the first morning of the working week to report an injury he or she sustained at work on Friday — can be a dreaded situation for an employer.
Nearly all organizations face this at some point and the injury report is likely to trigger an agonizing chain of events, according to a report by the Society of Human Resource Management.
The Monday morning surprise comes with several questions. Is the injury truly work-related?
Could it be a case of cumulative effects? Was this an injury sustained over the weekend, on the employee’s personal time? Do you have evidence to prove it?
The injury could be legitimate (especially if it involves the musculoskeletal system) or due to cumulative exposure, but employers should be wary of instances where an employee clocks out of a shift on Friday with no reported injury and returns on Monday with an injury.
That’s a red flag for workers’ comp fraud.
What not to do
Workers’ compensation fraud experts recommend that you do not:
- Spy on employees — If the employer plays investigator and creates a Big Brother atmosphere of spying on workers, especially when they’re injured, a huge divide in trust is created between employees and managers. When a supervisor functions as a spy, employees are quick to notice and feel devalued.
- Have employees sign a no-injury pledge — While the intent may be positive, to eliminate work-related injuries and illnesses, such an agreement discourages early reporting and could deter a worker from reporting an actual injury that gets worse over time.
- Restrict employees’ personal activities — The range of activities outside of work that could be deemed too risky for employees is impossible to define, and is not legally defensible. An employer who tries to dictate employees’ personal lives will end up with disgruntled workers.
What you can do
First you should put a policy in place that all workplace injuries should be reported to management on the day they occur. That way, the employer can investigate immediately and talk to other staff that may have witnessed the event.
The more time that goes by, the less likely that witnesses will remember anything pertinent to the claim investigation.
As you gather the facts on your injured worker, be sure to address how and when the injury occurred. Did they cite a very specific incident, or was it a gradual onset that worsened over time? If it was gradual, how long ago did the symptoms start? Did the pain stay in the same location, or is it moving around into extremities? Is it worse now after some rest or is it feeling better?
You should ask the employee why they are only reporting it on Monday, instead of Friday when the injury occurred. Often it could be an honest mistake.
Perhaps they told a supervisor who didn’t kick the information to management. Or perhaps they didn’t report it because they didn’t want to go a clinic and thought they’d feel better after the weekend.
But the biggest violation may not be the employee’s fault, it could be yours. If they did not know they were supposed to tell you about a near-miss or incident-only injury, that’s due to poor communication on your part. Workers need to know that should any incident happen, they are required to report it.
End-of-week employee injury statement
One way to address the Monday morning surprise is to develop an “End-of-Week Employee Injury Statement.”
Your accounting department can attach something like the following statement to each employee’s paycheck:
I have not received or witnessed any injury during the course of this week’s work with [Employer Name Here.]
Employees would be required to complete the form, sign it and return it to their supervisor.
The benefits of such a reporting program include:
- Employees reporting workplace injuries in a timely manner.
- Improved management-worker communications.
- Strengthened accident prevention and employee safety.
- The ability to reconcile injuries that have occurred and to alert supervisors and management of hazardous conditions and unreported injuries.
- The identification of witnesses who should be interviewed during accident investigations.
It should be noted, however, that the use of an end-of-week statement would not be defensible against a claim for benefits at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, but it could be used to establish the condition of the employee leading up to the at-work injury.
How to Avoid Having Your Business Property Damage Claim Denied
Whether you own and insure your office or other business property, or insure the office or building you rent, you will obviously want to make sure that you have an automatic sprinkler system or some other fire detection or suppression system in place in case of fire.
You’ll also want to make sure that your fire alarms are working and that you have service contracts for periodic inspections of your facilities to identify fire and other risks.
But what happens if there’s a fire in your building and your sprinkler system fails? Well, when you make your insurance claim you could be in for a nasty surprise if your policy has a “protective safeguards endorsement.”
This endorsement would deny coverage if you had failed to maintain and ensure that your system is in proper working order.
If your policy contains a protective safeguards endorsement, and you fail to adequately maintain any of the protective safeguards at your commercial building or manufacturing facilities, and you suffer a loss caused by fire, coverage for the fire loss can be denied by your insurance company.
Also, if you knowingly turn off or suspend any of the safeguards, even if it is for routine maintenance, and fail to notify the insurance company and a loss occurs during the suspension, coverage can be denied.
Because of the potential coverage gaps that can be created by this endorsement, it’s very important for you to know whether it’s attached to your policy — and if it can be removed. If it can’t, you need to understand your responsibilities in order to avoid having your claim rejected.
These are types of protective safeguards that could be in the endorsement:
- Automatic sprinkler system
- Automatic fire alarm
- Security service
- Service contract
- Automatic commercial cooking exhaust and extinguishing system
- Any other protective system described in the endorsement schedule.
Protective safeguards horror stories*
Burmac Metal Finishing Co. — An Illinois appellate court ruled that an insurer was justified in denying coverage for a fire and explosion because Burmac had capped between three and 19 automatic sprinkler systems out of 600 at its industrial building without notifying the insurer. The court ruled that this action constituted failure to maintain the system, justifying denial of coverage.
Y2K Textile, Inc. — A California appeals court ruled that an insurer had properly denied coverage for fire loss when the protective safeguards endorsement required the insured to maintain a contract with a duct-cleaning service and the insured never obtained a copy of such a contract.
* Source: Faegre Baker Daniels blog
Insurers will often offer a premium discount or a credit, or an otherwise uninsurable property may qualify for coverage, if the property policy includes a protective safeguards endorsement.
Typically, a policy will identify the protective safeguards the endorsement covers and then it will have the following key clause:
“As a condition of this insurance, you [the insured] are required to maintain the protective devices or services listed in [this endorsement].”
The endorsement will spell out that the insurer will not pay for the loss or damage that is caused by or resulting from a fire if, prior to the fire, the policyholder:
- Was aware that any of the protective safeguards had been suspended or were impaired prior to the fire, and that the policyholder had failed to inform the insurer.
- Failed to maintain the protective safeguards in complete working order.
That means that you have two duties under such an endorsement:
- The duty to notify the insurer of any suspensions or impairments of any safeguards.
- The duty to maintain the safeguards.
Policies will also include instructions for when you must inform your insurer of a suspension of a safeguard. Most endorsements will include the following safe-harbor provision:
“If part of an Automatic Sprinkler System is shut off due to breakage, leakage, freezing conditions or opening of sprinkler heads, notification to us will not be necessary if you can restore full protection within 48 hours.”
What you should do
If you have an insurance policy for your property and you are unsure whether it includes a protective safeguards endorsement, you can call us. If your policy does include it, we can work with you and the insurer to see if can be removed, if you’re so inclined.
California Adopts New Zone 0 Wildfire Standard
California has approved a statewide Zone 0 wildfire standard that establishes requirements to reduce combustible materials immediately around homes and commercial buildings in areas with elevated wildfire risk.
The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection approved the regulations on Aug. 19, 2026. The rules apply to properties in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within Local Responsibility Areas and affect an estimated 2 million homes.
Zone 0 covers the first five feet around a structure, an area that can play an outsized role in whether a home ignites during a wildfire. Wind-driven embers can land next to a house and ignite mulch, leaves, firewood, plants, fencing and other combustible materials. Flames can then spread to the structure.
Research has found that maintaining an ember-resistant area around a home can significantly increase its chances of surviving a wildfire.
A smaller noncombustible area
The final rules are less restrictive than the standard originally envisioned under a 2020 state law that called for an ember-resistant zone extending five feet from structures.
Instead, the new regulations create a noncombustible safety area extending at least one foot from a structure or to the edge of its eaves, whichever is greater.
The following are prohibited within the one-foot safety area:
- Vegetation
- Firewood
- Bark mulch
- Wood chips
- Dead leaves
- Branches
Vegetation must be kept at least two feet from windows, doors and vents and five feet from attached decks and similar features.
The rest of Zone 0 is considered a low-combustibility area. Some well-maintained plants, ground cover, grass and trees may remain if they meet the requirements.
Trees may remain within Zone 0 but must be maintained. Among other requirements, dead wood and lower branches that could act as “ladder fuels” should be removed. Branches must be kept away from roofs, eaves and chimneys, and roofs and gutters should be kept free of combustible debris.
The regulations also address fences and outbuildings. Where a fence attaches to a home, a five-foot noncombustible section will eventually be required. Sheds and outbuildings within Zone 0 must have noncombustible exterior roofs and walls.
The three zones
Zone 0 is the area closest to the home. California’s defensible-space system generally extends 100 feet from a structure.
Zone 0: 0 to 5 feet — This is the ember-resistant area immediately surrounding the home. The goal is to prevent embers from igniting nearby materials and spreading fire to the structure.
Zone 1: 5 to 30 feet — This area focuses on creating a lean, clean and green environment by removing dead vegetation, trimming trees and separating plants to slow the spread of fire.
Zone 2: 30 to 100 feet — This zone focuses on reducing fuels by mowing grasses, removing fallen branches and creating adequate spacing between trees and shrubs.
Local governments may adopt stricter requirements based on their communities’ wildfire risks.
When the rules take effect
The regulations are expected to take effect for new construction in September. Existing homeowners will have a phased compliance period, with some requirements taking effect within three years and full compliance required within five years.
Once the official grace period for your fire-hazard tier expires, penalties will apply for continued noncompliance:
- Initial infractions: These typically result in an administrative fine of $100 to $500 per day until the violation is corrected.
- Severe misconduct: Repeated refusal to clear the zone after multiple warnings can be treated as a misdemeanor, potentially leading to higher court-ordered fines.
While state and local agencies may be lenient early on, California home insurance companies are not. Many private insurers have already adopted Zone 0 benchmarks. Failing a private insurance inspection or not clearing your five-foot perimeter can result in an immediate premium increase, policy nonrenewal or claim denial.
If you are making defensible-space improvements partly for insurance purposes, check with us before starting major work. We can help you understand your insurer’s requirements and whether documentation, photographs or an inspection is necessary to receive credit for the improvements.