In a world that is turning to technology for answers to everything, we wonder what this means for jobs of the future from both the employer and employee’s perspective.
According to the Office of National Statistics 1.5 million jobs are said to become autonomous this includes farmers, bar staff, food service and cleaning positions. Although, this thought can be quite daunting and even more so for those in the positions, what does this mean for businesses?
This post will look at the idea of an automated workforce in more detail, starting with how this may impact employers.
Autonomous Workforce and Employers
Interviews
Even though employer’s will not be hiring a human they will still need to do some form of interview to ensure the technology they are investing in will work as they need it to. This will take lots of research and even some interaction with a human to ensure the technology can carry out the tasks required.
Instead of looking for references employer’s will be looking at reviews and statistics to ensure no accidents happen on their premises. Also, warranties, insurance and maintenance plans will need to be put in place and let’s face it this isn’t the case for humans – hands up those with an employer health plan?
Accidents in the Workplace
On the subject of accidents and insurance what happens if there is an incident on the premises which was caused by the technology? According to Compare Compensation Claims most accidents that happen on the business premises will still be the employers responsibility, even if it is caused by the technology. Although, the business owner could look into suing the technology provider – but not before they have been liable for the injured party!
Algorithm or Human?
Although, an autonomous workforce may sound like less work it could become very lonely as many robots do not yet have the ability to form jokes or interact in a human way. Technology generally works from algorithms and therefore if something is not quite as it is meant to be the technology may not understand how to navigate the situation.
As well as the employer the employee will be affected by a change in workforce, after all they are the ones losing out of jobs.
Autonomous Workforce and Employees
The Job Market
One of the biggest question’s employees have when it comes to technology in the workplace is “what will the job market look like”?
The answer to this question is pretty much unknown but one thing is for sure there will be an increase in engineering and technological jobs, as humans will have to fix the technology when things go wrong.
Employee Relationships
If 2020 taught us anything it was how much people miss working as part of a team, that interaction is what keeps us going from 9-5 (more like 8-6)! When machines start entering the workplace and overtaking what are currently human positions many people may start to feel isolated which can impact on mental health.
It’s not just the loneliness but also the ability to take a break or negotiate a break, sometimes we must help one another out which can be hard when speaking to a programmed machine.
Finances
As an employee it can be scary to think that a machine can do the same job for much less money, so does this mean a drop in pay available for those who work in similar positions? All of these scenarios are not yet answered and they need to be before many of us find our jobs and employees changing or at risk of being taken over by machines.