For your role
AI for managers
Last checked 27 September 2026
Some of your team may already be using AI at work, with or without anyone having said it's fine. You're the one who has to decide what's allowed, what's useful, what's risky and what needs checking, usually without being an AI expert yourself.
These guides are written for that job. They're practical, they assume no technical background, and they don't assume AI is always the answer.
Who this is for
- Line managers and team leaders
- Department heads and operations managers
- Small-business owners who are the whole management team
- Anyone asked to 'sort out our AI use' without a technical background
Real tasks AI can help with
- First drafts of routine writing. Updates, announcements and summaries your team then checks and owns.
- Turning notes into actions. As long as nobody lets it invent owners or deadlines that weren't agreed.
- Answering repeat questions. A shared assistant built on your own checked documents, so the same answer isn't written ten times.
- Preparing for difficult conversations. Planning structure and wording in general terms, with no names or case details.
Tasks that need caution
- Decisions about people. Hiring, performance, discipline and pay need a person who can explain and own the decision.
- Anything with personal or confidential data. Only in tools your organisation has approved for it, and only what the task needs.
- Customer-facing output. It goes out under your organisation's name, so someone checks it first.
- Measuring 'productivity' from AI use. Time saved means little until checking and rework are counted too.
Workflows and guides
Seven guides, in the order most managers need them. Each stands on its own.
- Guide
How to manage a team that uses AI
Some of your team may already be using AI. This guide helps you find out openly, agree what is allowed, and set up checking and feedback, with a 30-day plan.
- Guide
Shadow AI at work: what it is and what managers can do
Shadow AI is work done in AI tools the organisation hasn't approved or doesn't know about. This guide explains why it happens, how to bring it into the open, and what to do after a slip.
- Guide
Which tasks are suitable for AI? A framework for managers
Eight questions turn 'should we use AI for this?' into a traffic-light decision. Six worked Fernway examples, from weekly updates to CV shortlisting, and a matrix to download.
- Guide
How to review AI-assisted work
A manager's guide to checking work drafted with AI, from facts and sources to whether the person understands it, plus how to give feedback that keeps people telling you when they've used AI.
- Guide
Is AI actually saving your team time?
Counting prompts or licences tells you little. This guide shows how to measure time saved once checking and rework are included, with a CSV template and two worked Fernway examples.
- Guide
Introducing AI to your team without panic
People worry about jobs, being watched and extra work when AI arrives. This guide helps managers introduce it honestly, promising only what they know, with a sample announcement and staff questions.
- Guide
Simple team AI rules: a one-page starter
Eight short sections make a set of team AI rules people will actually read. Worked Fernway wording for each, and a one-page template to download. Not legal advice.
Interactive practice
Free lessons that go deeper
Downloads and templates
Free, editable, and yours to adapt. Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.
Team AI rules: one-page starter (Markdown template)
Task suitability matrix (CSV for Excel or Sheets)
Time-saved measurement template (CSV for Excel or Sheets)
Questions people ask
- Should I just ban AI until we have a policy?
- A ban can feel safe, but if the tools are useful people may keep using them where you can't see. A short interim rule usually works better: say which tool is approved (if any), what must never go in, and who to ask. Then write proper team rules together.
- Do I need to be technical to manage a team that uses AI?
- No. The decisions are about data, quality and responsibility, which managers already make. You need to know what your approved tools are, what information can go into them, and how work gets checked.
- Is any of this legal advice?
- No. These guides explain good practice in plain English. For legal, data protection or HR decisions, involve your data protection lead, HR or legal adviser. Your organisation's policy takes priority.