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.
