80% of enterprises plan to invest in foundational technologies like the cloud, data analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). 60% of enterprises plan to enhance their usage of advanced technologies like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and no-code/low-code platforms.

The push for adopting these technologies is at an all-time high among enterprises as it helps achieve the following:

  • Enhanced productivity
  • More data-driven business decisions
  • Better business outcomes with modern tools

Although technologies improve businesses, employees and management have apprehensions about using them.

Most technologies, like AI and no-code/low-code platforms, automate and democratize specific tasks. However, studies have found that enterprises are slow to adopt them.

According to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, executives across countries like the US, the UK, India, China, Australia, and Singapore, cited a lack of skills and awareness, complexities, and costs as reasons for not embracing technology-led transformations. The fear of displacement or disruption of well-entrenched processes and systems is another concern that hinders the transformation strategies.

The concerns are more serious when it comes to women’s participation in the workforce. According to a study previously carried out by IMF, 11% of women would lose their jobs due to automation compared to 9% of men. The gender ratio in technology roles is skewed too. According to UNESCO’s report, only 20% of women are in technical positions in machine learning companies, 12% in AI research, and only 6% are professional software developers.

Unless enterprises address these challenges, the technology-led transformation will be a difficult goal to accomplish.

To do that, enterprises must debunk the myths about losing jobs and instill confidence among employees about the benefits of technology.

 

How Technologies Empower the Workforce

The fear of machines replacing humans is not new. Employees in the late 90s and early 2000s feared computers would replace them. But today, it’s impossible to imagine a workplace without computers. According to an analysis done by McKinsey, 60% of all occupations were found to have at least 30% of activities that were automatable. Several enterprises have already automated a significant part of their jobs. Hence, instead of worrying about job loss, employees and management must focus on technology’s benefits.

Technologies can help the workforce in many ways:

Improves Performance

Technologies like RPA and AI help employees do their jobs better. Salesforce’s Einstein is one such example. In 2017, Salesforce introduced an AI-based CRM tool to help customer service teams serve their customers better. It provides the customer service reps with all the information required to understand their customers and help them do their jobs well. The tool has enabled many enterprises to improve their customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores.

Reduces Fatigue and Errors

Processing hundreds and thousands of documents manually can be arduous. Considering the nature of work, rote work like data entry and record reconciliation often leads to fatigue, oversight, and human-prone errors. Eventually, it could impact the enterprise’s bottom line if the errors are not detected and fixed early.

Research and case studies on insurance companies show that technologies like RPA can improve the ROI by 200% within one year. Similarly, many industries have found technologies helpful in automating low-value tasks. Since most of these technologies are rules-based, it reduces errors, quickly processes large data volumes, and maintains accuracy. More importantly, it saves the time and effort of employees and helps them focus on more high-value tasks. It also gives them more time to innovate and offer differentiated products and services to customers.

Accelerates Job Completion

As businesses operate in a fast-paced environment, technology can help employees do their jobs fast and achieve their goals quickly. With technologies like no-code/low-code platforms and RPA, enterprises can automate tasks, streamline them, and ensure they are completed on time without hassles. Pepsico, for example, uses AI-powered technology to read warehouse labels and barcodes at their Dallas distribution center and accelerate the distribution process.

Creates New Roles

Contrary to what media and experts say, technologies can create new job roles. As new technologies emerge, processes and the nature of jobs change, leading to new job roles. For example, a 2011 study by McKinsey’s office found that while the internet had eliminated 500,000 jobs in France since the 90s, it had also created 1.2 million more jobs around the same time. Enterprises must closely observe such changes and modify the job roles to make them more relevant to the current business landscape.

 

How to Encourage Employees to Adopt Changes

Alleviating the employees’ concerns and making them the heart of the transformation is essential to accelerate adoption. Here are a few things enterprises can do to maneuver the challenges and encourage employees to embrace technology-led changes.

1. Communicate

Communicate the benefits of using technology. Demonstrate to your employees how new technologies can benefit them. Find champions within your enterprise who understand the technology or have used it to convince others to embrace it. Address the employees’ concerns to alleviate their fears about job loss or a specific technology. Maintain transparency throughout the strategy session and make them a part of the adoption journey to encourage adoption.

2. Upskill or Reskill Employees

New technologies require employees to learn new skills. Extensive training will boost employees’ confidence and help them quickly adapt to new roles. Conduct multiple training sessions on new technologies, and provide ample resources like access to training manuals, learning guides, and on-demand how-to-videos. You can also set up help centers to address employees’ queries even after the training.

Initiatives like mentorship programs can promote women’s participation and diversity, and inclusivity in technical roles. Create new opportunities for women to try new challenges.

3. Make Training a Part of Enterprise Culture

Technologies change. Enterprises have adopted the cloud, analytics, AI, and more sophisticated technologies to improve productivity and business outcomes. Hence, it’s crucial to build a culture of continuous learning. Ensure that your workforce upgrades skills and renews their certifications regularly.

Encourage them to attend workshops and seminars to upskill themselves. You can also attach monetary or non-monetary benefits to nudge them to complete training.

4. Create Awareness by Celebrating Success

Employees need evidence of how technologies will support them in their roles. Hence, celebrate the wins through the intranet, roadshows, etc., and share case studies to demonstrate how technology can aid them in saving time and working efficiently. It will boost the employees’ confidence in new technologies.

The secret of a successful technology-led transformation is a well-integrated technology, culture, and purpose. After all, technology cannot function without human intervention, an adaptable culture, and a clear purpose. Talk to us to learn more about seamlessly navigating the complexities of technology-led transformations.