Robots in the office: accept it or get left behind

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Robots in the office: accept it or get left behind

The nature of work is going to be profoundly changed by intelligent automation and digital workforces in the next few years - that’s a given. What is not so certain, however, is whether or not every organisation that would benefit from these advances is ready to accept them and fold them into their existing infrastructure without causing unworkable disruption. It’s all a matter of perception, because whether or not you want them, robots in the workforce are coming and if you can’t accept it then you’re going to get left behind.

The dawn of a new era

We’re on the cusp of a future where humans and digital workers can work alongside each other to meet business goals quicker, better and cheaper. We’re talking about a hyper-networked, global workforce with humans from inside and outside the organisation that will work seamlessly alongside their digital counterparts.

It’s a bold change and one that requires a more agile operating model. This is where the disruption will really be felt, as organisations scramble to realign their models around a new purpose and re-skill their human workforce around necessary new roles as older, lower-skilled roles are taken over by our robot friends.

Currently, it’s an opportunity ready and waiting to be grasped by business leaders that are prepared to protect their workers and manage these changes. Give it five years, however, and it will be more a case of playing catch-up to everyone else. It’s in your best interests to act now and here at Hydrogen we’re prepared to help.

The Hydrogen solution

We build teams of people and digital workers and empower them to fulfil their potential and achieve great things, together. We have over 20 years of industry experience in embedding the best human and digital talent for clients in over 67 countries. We create elegant and powerful digital workforce solutions in the following ways:

Offering digital workers - An industry first, we have re-invented our services to provide digital workers alongside our successful Human Resources business. Digital workers are pre-configured to deliver services at half the cost of their human counterparts, with no up-front costs either. This is true “Automation as a Service”.

Deploying Intelligent Automation Consultants - Whether you are at the very start of your Intelligent Automation journey, or are looking to hyperdrive efficiency and scale, we have a range of Consultants, Solution Architects, Analysts and Developers available to be deployed on-site or remotely from an offshore Robotics Operation Centre.

Providing training programmes - For companies looking to build their own internal Intelligent Automation capabilities, we offer training programmes and on-the-job up-skilling to create accredited Analysts and Developers within your own business.

Delivering end-to-end enterprise-wide automation - Operating in partnership with you, we can deploy the right experts, tools and methodologies to create an enterprise digital workforce for your organisation from scratch that matches your needs and goals.

Our top tips for RPA success

Dip your toe in the water - Make a start in a business area where there is an opportunity and start learning. This could be an area you haven’t considered before.
Understand the digital worker opportunity - Ask yourself where can digital workers play best across your organisation? They might not work in all areas but focus on the areas where they could work and where they could represent significant scaling opportunities.
Understand the enablement gaps - What capabilities and infrastructures need to be built to align that ambition with your strategy and purpose? Not every business is prepared for a digital workforce from day one, so ensure that your staff and your systems are ready for it.
Look for innovation - Workshop and discuss with your team where and in what ways intelligent automation might be able to transform services and your business model.
Start planning the change - Think about the various aspects of an agile operating business model, the change that is required and how you will go about re-shaping the organisation and re-skilling your people.

As we’ve already explained, it’s not going to be an easy change and it’s certainly not one that will happen overnight. But with the right guiding hands behind you and the right amount of ambition, it’s a change that will be more than beneficial - it will be truly transformative! And with 71% of businesses anticipating at least 10% growth over the next year as a result of automation, it’s certainly not going to harm your bottom line either.

As leaders, it’s up to you to guide your employees through this time of change and lay the foundations for a major shift. Because the robots are coming, whether we’re prepared for them or not. So, let’s treat them not as job usurpers, but as helpful friends ready to take us boldly into the third decade of the 21st century!

Find out more about Hydrogen’s Robotics services and solutions here .

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"2025 and Beyond" Question and Answer session

26 Feb, 2024

Our webinar 2025 and Beyond: Why Your Hiring, Learning, and Culture Need to Evolve brought together thought leaders Enrique Rubio (Hacking HR), Lisa Skinner Källström (Teamtailor), and Hydrogen Group’s Dean Jennings and Michelle Miller. The conversation explored strategies used to tackle the challenges of the future workforce, shift organisational cultures towards lasting partnerships, and ensure teams are equipped for the age of artificial intelligence. _ The Q&A box was brimming! Our webinar offered participants the chance to consult our HR experts on addressing shifts in the people and culture realm as we approach 2024 and beyond. Interesting questions were raised, and we compiled them all to seek and reached out to our experts to get some definitive answers. For a recap on the webinar, check out our blog Navigating the Future: Insights from our Webinar "2025 and Beyond" So, here we are. Your questions - answered! - How can companies make people feel more secure in their jobs? Is it just a matter of increasing communication? Lisa suggested a shift towards a more sustainable approach. 'In recent years, we have seen many companies experience massive growth, and the need to get great talent onboard - hence offering extremely generous compensation packages. Unfortunately, many have now faced layoffs, and while the compensation and benefit strategies are not the sole reasons, I would like to propose a more sustainable approach for the future. [Increase benefits as the company grows, and as business results allow, we can increase pension levels or similar benefits – and discuss it internally! Open dialogue about results, investment choices, and their rationale fosters a sense of involvement among team members and signals the company's commitment to a sustainable direction.]' Dean echoed concerns about job security in today's volatile economy and advises, 'In today's uncertain economic climate, job security is a concern. However, by becoming indispensable and embracing tools like AI, individuals can enhance their value to employers, securing their positions for the future. Apart from using Chat GPT, what other tasks can be automated with AI? Lisa commented, ‘We’ve mentioned a few examples already, but I would look at all the systems your company allows you to use and question your suppliers on what features are or will be based on AI. For example, many applicant tracking systems allow the opportunity for AI to summarise CVs for an easy overview, generate interview questions and suggest more personalised replies to rejected candidates based on their CVs. Also, the opportunity for AI to transcribe an interview is an amazing tool which allows the interviewer to solely focus on listening and talking to a candidate as opposed to taking notes. As always, AI in these types of systems is not designed to make the decisions for a recruiter or business - but serve as an assistant to save time and work more efficiently.’ Dean added, ‘There are far too many to list. The AI directory https://aitoolsdirectory.com/ does a really good job of showcasing what does what and where you can find it.’ What is the impact of AI on employee engagement and how can HR teams use AI to promote engagement? Also, what precautions should professionals take when using AI? Dean offered his perspective by stating that ‘engagement and AI may seem contradictory, but there's a clear benefit when HR uses AI to streamline admin tasks, freeing up time for vital human interaction. Tools like Koios, for instance, offer Acoustic AI, helping HR understand team and individual personalities better, for more tailored approaches. Professionals must approach AI implementation carefully, ensuring ethical use to maintain trust and transparency in the workplace.’ How can we make sure our services stay personalised while using AI? Dean responded, ‘By leveraging AI to handle time-consuming tasks. The best thing about AI is that you get to choose what it does and what it doesn’t. If you feel strongly about human interaction to enable personalisation, you don’t have to let go of that – just embrace AI to make those interactions better. Get it to strip data in the background for you, or to type up your notes and actions as you have the conversations. The possibilities are endless, and they can be tailored to your needs.’ Within your businesses, have you experienced any resistance to the adoption of AI? How have you handled these objections? Dean responded, ‘A lot of the resistance I have seen has either been a fear of trying or a fear of being caught. There seems to be a negative connotation with AI, that if you get it to do something for you, are you cheating? The answer is a resounding no, you are working with the tools available to make yourself more productive for your organisation. Robot proof recruiter, if you haven’t read it, you should. Especially if you are a recruiter or if recruitment is part of your job role. I’ll spare you the details, but it is an amazing read that showcases the fact you can never take the people part out of recruitment - you’ll always be able to provide a better level of service than a robot (at least for now) and you need to focus on the parts of the process where human interaction is at its most vital and automate/utilise AI to get back time in your day to improve that social element of the process.’ Do you feel Employee Resource Groups will be on the rise with the future generation of workers? Dean replied, ‘A truly hybrid workplace cannot function effectively without the right technology in place. That doesn’t even need to be AI. For employees to feel a sense of belonging in a workplace, there should be a seamless experience that goes beyond just having teams up on 1 laptop in a room full of 30 people. Again, this will only advance with time ... my eutopia is to have my whole team (who are based in the UK + Thailand) sat around a virtual desk, on a beach with an interactive whiteboard we can utilise in real time via virtual and augmented reality. You may laugh now, but in the next couple of years, VR and AR tech will be the staple of hybrid working and teams coming together around the globe. This doesn’t take away from the in-person experience and nor do I think it should. It should be a tool that compliments real-time working solutions.’ How can we support older generation employees in the changing landscape? Dean offered his perspective, ‘AI is truly remarkable. It embodies the futuristic vision many of us had as children—computers and programs taking on tasks for us. For those uneasy about it, I believe it's a matter of not fully comprehending it or lacking the skills to use it effectively. AI has quietly become a part of the workplace, and many are still navigating its intricacies. The focus should be on empowering employees to leverage AI to enhance productivity and value to the organisation. Those who resist or fail to adapt won't be replaced by AI but by individuals who embrace change and view AI as a tool for greater contribution.’ How can we safeguard against the risk of AI stifling creativity in the workplace? Lisa said, ‘I would say the opposite, if we use AI for the more regular and routine tasks then we will have more time to use to be creative! For example, instead of spending hours on creating a presentation for an important project - let AI do this creating for you and spend the time on how you want to engage with your audience instead. Using ChatGPT to find easy tasks that I would previously have spent a lot of time on has been a big change in how I work and allows me find space in the day.’ Is there a regional divide across different parts of the world? Are Europeans more prone to appreciate safety/job security than Americans? Lisa commented, ‘My thoughts are that globally we have been through a lot in recent years, covid affected everyone regardless of location. After that, we had war in Europe for the first time in many years which had major effects on the economy, which I believe has made people appreciate job safety even more and value this in choosing their next employer. However, in some parts of Europe employees are still very protected by labour laws etc so I believe it is different from America where it is more common to have short notice period and less resistance from employers to terminate an employment.’ Expanding on the key themes discussed in our webinar, we're thrilled to introduce our Thrive Guide – a practical roadmap for building a thriving workplace. Within the Thrive Guide, discover actionable strategies to enhance employee engagement, foster diversity and inclusion, and implement flexible working models. Discover practical solutions to enhance workplace productivity and satisfaction. As our expert Dean Jennings emphasises, 'adapting to evolving workplace dynamics requires strategic initiatives.' This sentiment is echoed by other industry leaders in our webinar. In the Thrive Guide, these insights converge to offer practical solutions, providing a roadmap for organisations navigating change. Revolutionise your workplace. Download the Thrive Guide now!