The problem of automation in modern companies is very acute, as COVID-19 has forced managers to step up work in the direction of technology. Automation has gained solid momentum and will not slow down in the coming years until half or even most of the world’s companies of any specialization will move to a technological foundation. It is believed that automation improves customer service and helps with the long-term transportation of goods and logistics operations. In addition, information technology significantly increases the speed of production or the provision of a particular service. However, the gradual coming of automation could deprive many people of their jobs, creating a collapse in the labor market. To prevent the destruction of the labor market, it is necessary to change the production and management procedures so that machines do not replace people but help them.
The first change is the most global: a change in business models. Many companies’ current business models do not consider the growth of automation and the possibilities of artificial intelligence and information technology (Partington, 2017). These models rely on manual power, human intelligence, and the ability of groups of workers. Machinery is not perceived as a foundation that permeates all qualitative and quantitative work, each task separately. When adopting technology, many managers expect to make only slight adjustments to the business model, but the result is that both the technology investment and the workforce suffer (Holzer, 2022). Robots are specific workers that cannot be applied to conventional business models, as they have different needs and capabilities.
In this regard, it is essential to say about international cooperation, which should go beyond the competition of businesses. Companies want to collaborate to benefit technology development and subordinate it to a successful business. Given these opportunities and desires, achieving the goals of adequate business automation seems natural. International conferences and meetings on IT, engineering, and risks caused by the introduction of technology make businesses mutually develop parts of one technological and economic system (Nunes, 2021). The topic of job loss by low-skilled workers can be of them especially hotly debated.
The second argument for the harmonious interaction of technology and people is full-fledged training. This training can take a lot of resources and time, but it will avoid the loss of jobs for many people. Machines need overseers and maintenance specialists so that many workers can gain new qualifications. The beauty of such workouts can be that they can take place on the job. However, then managers will have to prepare for a possibly large number of errors in training personnel. Society has retained a fascination with technology that has not left it for nearly a century. The joint work of man and technology will become a new stage in developing the service sector and various industries (Hastings, 2021). Even if this collective work is only light human service and security surveillance, allowing workers to retrain without retraining or with a slight increase is worth it.
When technology and robots fill production warehouses, the question of safety is especially acute. No one is immune from the sudden failure of complex equipment, which, given its size and speed of operation, can be a considerable danger to people. There are known cases of death in production when such robots or conveyors fail. All this shows the importance of spying on robots, which should be carried out by a team of workers and not by one manager with higher education. Besides the severe security issue, robots show the least flexibility when dealing with clients. Many clients want to receive unique help, considering their problem as special and describing it in detail. They want to get not an algorithm of actions for hundreds and thousands of the same clients but particular recommendations for their case. Unfortunately, robots are not yet able to resort to this approach.
In conclusion, it is crucial to focus on new business models that must inevitably enter, along with technology, into the work of large companies. It will allow many low-skilled workers to continue their activities in different positions. Even though training will take a lot of time and financial resources, it will avoid staff drain and labor market collapse, and workers will become companions to robots.
References
Hastings, R. (2021).The pros and cons of automation in the workplace. Emeritus.
Holzer, H. J. (2022). Understanding the impact of automation on workers, jobs, and wages. Brookings.
Nunes, A. (2021). Automation doesn’t just create or destroy jobs — It transforms them. Harvard Business Review.
Partington, R. (2017). UK’s poorest to fare worst in age of automation, thinktank warns. The Guardian.