We’re at a point in time where employees hear automation, and they automatically think the worst. They think they’re being replaced by robots essentially.
Automation is a lot more than that—it’s about giving employees the tools and technology that allows them to thrive in the workplace. Automation allows them to eliminate unnecessary work on focus on being strategic.
The term automation is a broad one, and it doesn’t mean replacing human workers in the majority of cases. For example, think about mobile expense claims. This is done through a form of automation, and it makes the vast majority of employees very happy to have.
How do you convey that to your employees, however? How do you show them that automation in the workplace is actually implemented to make their lives easier and their roles more effective? The following are some tips to help you help employees embrace automation and new technology.
Provide Training
A big mistake that organizations make when they introduce new technology to their employees is not taking the time to train them on it fully. Employees are inherently going to be intimidated by what they don’t understand.
Comprehensive training programs need to show employees not only the basics of how to use new software or technology being introduced but how to make it relevant to their jobs. It also needs to be easy for them to understand.
Just as much as you focus on choosing the automation or technology and its initial rollout, also put attention into making sure the training on it is thorough.
Make It Relevant to Specific Employees
Making automation and technology relevant to specific employees can go along with training, and it can also be done on its own. When you introduce new automation, don’t just provide a blanket statement about how it will help everyone.
Instead, take the time to show different departments how it’s going to benefit them and how it’s going to help them thrive as employees, rather than replacing them.
Encourage Autonomy and Innovative Thinking
A lot of what automation does is that it takes out the need for tedious and redundant work. It doesn’t eliminate the need for creative, innovative thinking, however.
When you’re introducing new technology to your employees, a key part of how you sell it should be the fact that its use is going to allow your employees to come up with new ways of doing things. They’re going to be responsible for innovation, and they’re going to be free to do it more autonomously.
They’re not going to be held back by the confines of strict workflows that don’t leave room for strategic thinking and innovation.
It’s up to you to market automation and technology to employees in a way that’s honest and transparent, but also appealing to them. New automation needs to be marketed just as you would market a new product or service rollout to your customers if you want buy-in at every level.
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