As a future that promises more and more automation quickly approaches, it can be difficult to determine how the working world should respond to these changes. Will automation wipe out jobs, as we know them, replacing humans with artificially intelligent machines? Or will automation bring on a new industrial revolution for the modern age? Whatever the outcome, for companies to experience the greatest level of growth, automation must be embraced, not ignored.
Employees and businesses will find that they profit the most by finding ways to work alongside automation. With the productivity that automation brings, the finer details of the business are less likely to fall through the cracks.
For example, you want your employees to be prepared in case any type of disaster happens. By using a disaster recovery tool, you won’t have to worry what’s going on with your important data–it will be protected, and you and your team can deal with what’s next.
Here are some ideas on how to react to automation, rather than ignoring it.
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Preparing the Workplace for Automation
As automation continues to positively impact your company, it’s important to understand the full range of its impact. With the help of seamlessly automated processes, your business will expand, sometimes in a way that you aren’t prepared to handle. In order to guarantee that both your employees and your business are successful as your newly automated company takes off, every aspect of the workplace should be prepared for what automation brings.
For example, companies that have experienced significant growth due to automation often start hiring many new employees to handle the new influx of business. As new employees join the company, businesses can find it hard to run their companies in the same way as before.
Without properly taking measures to ensure your company runs smoothly with the addition of so many new hires, your business will soon start spiraling out of control. To avoid this, it is important to be intentional about preparing your workplace for the beneficial consequences of automation.
Planning to Retain the Workforce
As companies expand, it can be hard for businesses to dedicate time to invest in their employees. Ignoring automation will send employees the wrong message, leaving them unprepared for the changes ahead.
Particularly employees that have been with a business for a long time may find it hard to adjust to the idea of their daily routine changing to something new. These types of employees may simply find it easier to try to carry on the way things used to be, ignoring the changes.
However, this kind of mindset does not serve to benefit anyone. Without the proper training, employees may not understand how the new technology works and may feel even more threatened in the face of these changes. Businesses that make it a point to explain how automation will change the company is the best way to connect with employees and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Expecting More Automation
Automation often has an effect on the businesses that begin to implement it. Once you automate a certain part of your business–it’s hard to stop. Though most industries do have partial automation in the workplace, the most innovative fields are always eager to implement the newest robots and artificial intelligence.
If others around the workplace aren’t aware of the automation that is taking place around them, they will be left in the dust as the new technology starts to take over. As workplaces start to automate more of their business processes, they should keep employees up to date on the new machines and software that are coming their way.
Expect to See Jobs Eliminated
Ignoring automation can mean unemployment for people working in certain professions. Employees should be well aware of the effects of automation—both good and bad.
It is the ugly truth that automation will lead to some jobs being replaced by machines. Jobs that involve repetitive and mundane tasks are the first ones to go once automation hits an industry.
These lower paying jobs will be easy to replace with an automated process. If workers in these types of professions fail to realize the instability of their jobs, they will be unprepared to make the jump to another profession.
Choosing to focus on how automation will affect the working world rather than ignore it should encourage workers to find time to work on their professional development. Employees that work in professions that are threatened by automation should consider going back to school to learn skills for a new industry, receive certification in other fields, or receive training that will help them stay in the field they already work in.
What it Comes Down to
Automation is here and cannot be ignored. Whatever industry you are in, you will realize that some form of automation will find its way to your workplace.
While it isn’t likely that your job will be eliminated due to automation, it is important for workers to pay attention to new technology and how it affects the workplace as a whole. If you work in accounts payable department–it’s likely some of your work will be automated, but that doesn’t mean your job will be eliminated completely.
If it helps, try and think of automation as a positive thing–you are likely to work more efficiently due to it, and you will learn new things along the way, making you an even more valuable team member than before.
About The Author:
Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.
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