Resistance to Automation

Change is a constant in our world. In our quest for excellence in the way we live as humans, we continue to push boundaries of innovation and creativity; developing new ways to optimize repetitive and mundane activities that otherwise take a considerable amount of our time.

Every human invention has always been met with profound hostility. In the 18th century, when textile machines were invented, textile workers protested and burnt down textile (loom) machines in anger and protest because they felt the machine would put them out of jobs.

When something seems to alter our perception of reality in a way that might affect what’s important to us humans, we immediately feel threatened and everything from there is met with hostility.

Resistance to change is a normal process that's old as time itself. It is true today as it was in the 1st to 3rd industrial revolution. We currently exist in the fourth industrial revolution and the world has never experienced this much innovation in a relatively short span of 20-30 years.

What is workplace automation?

Workplace automation is the process of instructing software and/or hardware with network connections to create automated workflows. Press one button, and multiple actions follow. It’s a bit like playing a game of digital dominos.

It’s often applied to repetitive tasks that would otherwise require multiple manual actions. A workplace example of this is an onboarding flow; HR needs to only enter a new joiner’s name within an automated system to trigger actions like having all onboarding documents emailed and meetings scheduled.

Automation and Diversity

One of the main benefits of Automation in the workplace is that it can help to remove barriers that makes diversity impossible.

Automation in the workplace can provide new opportunities and remove barriers that have traditionally made it difficult for people with disabilities to find and maintain employment. For Instance, AI-powered robots and drones can be used to perform tasks that are difficult or impossible for people with physical disabilities to perform, such as reaching high shelves or traversing uneven terrain.

On the gender spectrum, automation and AI will bring opportunities to both men and women. Especially for women, automation provide a possible Taking time away from work and finding time to relax with family, away from responsibilities, without having to

Why is Workplace Automation Important?

Saves organizational resources.

The main benefit of workplace automation is time-saving; one action can trigger many.

Workplace automation can help you cut business costs by eliminating expensive errors and streamlining your processes to help employees complete tasks more efficiently. You may also save money on administrative labor because repetitive, time-consuming tasks will be done automatically.

Automation can also cut down on the use of paper by generating documents for electronic signatures, mitigating the need to print and send. Automation from software like DocuSign can also trigger the next in the series of documents as soon as one is signed.

Employee Management Systems:

Implementing automated systems that help employees record their goals and keep track of their performance eliminates the human appraisal input to a very significant extent, opening a channel for two-way feedback between employee, supervisor and organization.

This helps HR teams to monitor and address issues related to equity, such as unequal pay and opportunities for advancement.

Automated Learning systems

Companies who are able to incorporate learning tools to their inclusion strategy will see increasing growth in bridging the information gap between more experienced personnel and younger staff. As companies look to maintain stability and diversify, it's become norm to have multiple age groups in the workplace. While keeping abreast to new tech might be easy for the younger staff, it may pose a considerable challenge to seniors in the workplace. Incorporating learning tools into company policies and operations can help bridge this gap.

Improve Hiring Processes

The use of AI tools for example can help cut down on unconscious bias in hiring. For example, AI can access the entire pool of candidates on merit basis and present the best candidates who fit, rather than relying on humans who might fall back on unconscious bias.

Why employees resist new technology and change

Shock and fear of the unknown:

Employees resist change because of shock and fear of the unknown. Employees might react to organizational change in a variety of ways, from dread and terror to enthusiastic support. Some employees may feel compelled to cling to the past during periods of transition since it was a more stable and predictable time. If what they did previously worked well for them, they may be hesitant to change their behavior for fear of not achieving as much in the future. The less the company understands about the shift and how it will affect them, the more terrified they will become

Job Loss can make employees resist new technology:

Employees fight change in the workplace for a variety of reasons, one of which is job loss. Any process, innovation, system, or product change in an organizational setting will include streamlining, working smarter, cost reduction, efficiency, and shorter turnaround times. All of this indicates that employees and managers will fight changes that result in the elimination or reduction of their jobs. Your change, in their opinion, is detrimental to their career within the company! A part of employees’ reactions during times of transition are determined by their job satisfaction. The more satisfied an employee the more open they are to change. The less satisfied they are the more opposed they are to change; its just another annoyance to them.

Loss of Control

One of the most common reasons for employee resistance to change is a sense of loss of control. Employees gain a sense of control over their work environment when they are familiar with their routines. Employees may feel powerless and befuddled when they are asked to modify how they function. When people believe they have some control over the situation, they are more likely to grasp and make adjustments.

Office Politics:

Every company has its own set of internal politics. As a result, some personnel oppose the change in order to “show or prove” that the change decision is incorrect. They may also be averse to admitting that the person in charge of the change is unfit for the job. These employees reject everything about the new transformation and are resolute in making sure the project fails.

Managing employee resistance to change

A company is only as successful as its people, processes and culture. Ensuring that automation fits into this trinity is a job for HR teams and leaders. It can be done in the following ways;

Address and understand the generational Tech

Communicate Needs

Communicate your plans and expectations when bringing in new technologies. Employees may see workplace automation and assume they'll no longer be needed in the organization. For example, when ATMs were introduced, experts forecasted the elimination of bank tellers, explains The Economist.

While ATMs did reduce the number of tellers at each branch, they also reduced the cost of operating a bank branch — and allowed banks to open more branches. The result was a greater need for bank workers because of the greater number of branches.

Employees can better adjust to those changes when HR communicates openly. Consider how automation may shift the demand for employee skills and take time to communicate those potential changes to employees.

Engage Your Employees

Communication isn't enough to ensure a smooth transition to new technologies. It's also essential that you involve your employees in the transformation process. Various researchers proved that changes go down much more manageable when employees play an active role in the process.

Make space for expressing their opinions or concerns and, of course, answer their questions.

Give them a sense of power, and once they feel heard and respected, they won't resist the change anymore. Moreover, employee feedback can give you essential information that will provide you with a better idea of the reasons behind the resistance to change. You can then adjust your efforts to minimize the resistance further.

Provide Training

When implementing new systems or tools, organizations need to consider onboarding processes from a multi-generational perspective.

If the rise of automation in the workplace will demand new skills, you can counter that by offering development opportunities to help employees fill the skills gap. Emphasize the benefits of these changes by offering training tools that leverage the strengths of individuals within your workforce.

If facilitating new training seems overwhelming, consider the possibility of automating the training programs as well. This allows your employees first hand exposure to these atomations.

Update Hiring Practices

As workforce automation changes staffing needs, organizations will also need to hire new employees who possess the soft skills that are needed in the new working environment. Technical skills and knowledge still matter, but employees of the future need to be able to apply their abilities to solve problems in ever-changing circumstances. Workers who have not developed human abilities like abstract reasoning, interpersonal communication, and empathy will have trouble in a future where smart machines can take over routine tasks.  There are really only four skills that the employee of the future needs to thrive: critical thinking, ethical reasoning, ease with interpersonal interaction, and empathy. Irrespective of the occupation or industry, these are the skills that workers and employers will find valuable in the future.

Automation Can Augment, Rather Than Replace Employees

Technology doesn’t have to replace employees; it can be used to enhance their work and output. In fact, 57% of employers say that the main goal of automation is to augment worker performance, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson.

By automating away from busy work and investing in employee development, companies can enjoy higher productivity, higher morale, and an improved employer brand that will make it easier to attract and retain top talent.