![]() Additionally, demand for soft skills that automation cannot duplicate, like relationship-building and effective communication, will continue to rise. McKinsey & Company predicts that demand for basic literacy and numeracy skills will fall by 20% in the next decade while the demand for technological skills will rise by 50%. Need for Reskilling and TrainingĪs automation takes over certain tasks and shifts the types of roles in demand, employees will need substantive upskilling and reskilling to thrive in the workplace. Researchers predict this trend will continue with an increase in employment for high- and low-skilled workers, and a decrease for middle-skilled workers. The study found that the number of managers in an organization decreases with automation in the workplace, likely because automated processes require less oversight. However, the balance of employees does shift. Thus far, automation has not resulted in net losses of knowledge worker jobs-in fact, a recent study by researchers from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania found the companies that adopt automation increase their number of overall employees, likely because of the increases in productivity and revenue associated with automation. ![]() ![]() These capital expenditures can be a difficult obstacle for companies to overcome if they are already operating on tight margins. These include direct costs like purchasing software licenses, working with vendors for configuration and rollout, data infrastructure and governance, and ongoing maintenance, as well as the costs associated with employee training, software monitoring and support, and more.īusinesses that require highly customized solutions can expect to pay an additional premium. While automation can pay significant dividends, it’s important to note the upfront costs when calculating potential ROI. Challenges posed by workplace automation include the following. While there are many benefits of automation in the workplace, it’s not without its drawbacks. That means they can potentially grow and scale their business with lower associated operating costs since fewer additional workers are needed to complete manual processes. Growth and ScalabilityĬertain types of automation (for example, automating marketing workflows) allow businesses to reach far more customers without additional employee inputs. Plus, when employees can access data and workflows through a centralized process, they are far less likely to encounter miscommunications and duplication of work. After all, computers aren’t easily distracted like humans. Whether automation is handling a simple task-like entering new customers’ email addresses into a customer relationship management program-or conducting complex financial projections, if properly configured it can reduce the potential for errors. The predictability of automation allows companies to better plan ahead and anticipate challenges and opportunities, rather than being blindsided by them. This means sick days, unexpected emergencies, or heavy workloads don’t disrupt timely functions. When tasks like sending lead-generation emails or tracking inventory are automated and set to run at a regular interval, businesses remove human delays and disruptions from the equation. It’s not surprising, then, that Zapier found that 90% of surveyed knowledge workers agreed that automation has improved people’s lives in the workplace, or that 65% report that automating manual tasks has decreased their stress level. Automating those tasks can free up employees’ time to focus on the kind of innovative, value-added work that can only be done by a human, and that many find more satisfying. ![]() Increased Employee Engagementįew people enjoy repetitive tasks like data entry or email follow-up. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also proven essential for keeping businesses on track through supply chain disruptions, remote work, and many other challenges. However, there are pros and cons of automation in the workplace.Īutomation can help savvy companies grow the bottom line in a number of ways. Automation can be applied to physical tasks using machinery or robots, or to data-driven processes using software and algorithms. Put simply, workplace automation refers to the use of systems to perform repetitive or predictable tasks without direct human inputs. Nevertheless, to remain competitive, companies will need to stay ahead of the technological curve and ensure their employees have the skills they need to be productive in an automated reality. While some physically-intensive industries such as manufacturing have experienced radical change with the onset of automation, the types of automation transforming the modern workplace look very different from the robot takeover some have feared. For years, economists and workers alike have speculated about the possible impacts of automation on the economy.
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