Workplace Automation is Bringing an Automagical World into Office

Workplace automation stops employees from engaging in mundane and time-consuming tasks

In this modern world, we are moving to homes with smart devices and migrating to cities with smart facilities. Then what about office space? They are also adopting technology to streamline routine processes. Yes, business operations are also getting the digital touch with workplace automation. Business process automation is bringing an auto magical world into office where we don't have to engage in mundane and time-consuming labour works.

A few decades back, automation was associated with manufacturing and industrial tasks. While it is true that industrial automation began the wave of workplace automation, today, automation in business is replacing human labour with machine labour. Starting from simple business process automation tasks like organizing emails, data management and hosting routine works to carrying out big tasks such as human resource management and customer services departments, everything is coming under workplace automation. Meanwhile, business process automation can lead to many small, positive changes that will impact areas of your business including employee satisfaction, work quality, and customer experience. However progressive automation in business might get, the fear of losing jobs is still lingering in workers mind. A McKinsey report unravels that up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs by 2030 as a result of workplace automation. On the other hand, Garner hails data literacy as the must-have skill in order to protect oneself against automation. Henceforth, the task of implementing automation in business is quite challenging.

Workplace automation and its applications

Workplace automation is the process of instructing software, hardware and machines or robots to create automated workflows without human intervention. Mostly, business process automation is adopted to make machines carry out repetitive tasks. Automation in business rotates around data. For example, if a new employee joins an office, the HR personnel only has to enter their name into a system, and all of the correct documents are sent to them, and the correct people are also notified. These workflows are where data is collected, processed, stored, changed and shared between a bunch of people. Some of the applications of business process automation are listed below,

Hiring process: The hiring process is often taken to be lengthy and boring. With the diplomacy rate increasing drastically every year, hundreds of people are applying for a single available position. This makes HR departments work tough. They have to sift through a sea of applications to select the right candidate. With the help of automation, employees can relieve themselves from recruitment work. Automated hiring tools can read through applications at amazing speed, searching for specific keywords to quickly identify the best candidate from thousands of applications.

Organizing meetings: Whether an office is small or big, gathering everybody to attend a meeting together is one of the toughest parts that the meeting organizers go through. Finding the right place for meeting and inviting the right people at their free schedule is nerve-wracking. However, business process automation tools can help end the tedious routine. They can easily compare availability and find a time that works for everyone.

Customer service: Modern customers are accustomed to quick responses and effective solutions. However, human employees can't always be engaged in the process. Henceforth, robotic process automation is being used to sort queries and offer initial responses to customers. Robotic process automation can even segregate queries into different categories, such as tech department, service department and more to ease customer interaction.

Challenges in workplace automation

Even though workplace automation comes with a handful of benefits, businesses still encounter critical challenges that limb the process. Some general hindrances range from securing funds and the inability to identify high-value automation opportunities.

IT and business friction

Companies have various teams working for them under different categories. A major trouble in implementing automation in business starts from making all of them agree to a single idea. Often times, automation struggles to make its way between IT and the business teams making an IT and business friction. The varied views between both teams build a void of IT and business friction. Henceforth, the teams should try to work together in streamlining business process automation.

Lack of data literacy skills

Data literacy is the ability to read, work with, analyze and communicate with data. It is a skill that empowers all levels of workers to ask the right questions of data and machines, build knowledge, make decisions, and communicate meaning to others. As more jobs get automated, the focus on data literacy is intensifying. Those who are not prepared to conquer the data literacy issue will fall prey to the on-going digital transition.

Need more human skills

Automation is not just about machines, it involves humans as well. Humans are capable of certain sixth sense things like self-awareness, problem-solving and critical thinking. Business process automation can't be fully implemented without addressing human skills in machines. These are extremely important as companies will be retaining and hiring not only those who can code but those who exhibit these often overlooked skills.