AI Fragmentation Tax & the Future of Workforce

G’day mates,Winter time in Australia, End of Summer in Europe and delighted to be back with yet another awesome episode this time with Preeti Verma, Strategic Initiatives & Transformation Lead at Atlassian.This is a conversation with her about why workforce planning is breaking, what most companies get wrong after buying AI tools, and why the answer keeps coming back to how teams coordinate in person.89% of executives say AI has made work faster. Only 6% can point to organization wide ROI.A few things worth pondering:* Headcount is breaking as a unit of measure. The question shifts from how many people, to what output and what combination of human plus AI plus workflow gets you there.* Individual productivity gains go nowhere if the rest of the value chain cannot keep pace.* Overlaying AI on workflows built for a human-only paradigm is patchwork. Redesign end to end instead.* And Preeti’s own version of Fika: the intentional walk to grab a coffee with a colleague. AI clearing the grunt work is what makes those ten minutes possible again.Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Fika Friday at the Office and share it with someone who still thinks the office is just a place to sit.Also check out Atlassian’s The State of Teams 2026 Report : https://www.atlassian.com/blog/state-of-teams-2026Connect with us on LinkedIn:* Preeti Verma : https://www.linkedin.com/in/preetiv/* Ram Puranam : https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/Cheers, RamThanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com