Now isn’t the time to be scared of software, writes Helen Stead – it’s time for HR to embrace technology’s potential
While some people have long contemplated the increasing use of technology in the workplace, it wasn’t until late 2015 that a growing number began to ask: ‘Will a robot take my job?’
The concern arose after research carried out by Oxford University and Deloitte found that 35 per cent of UK jobs are at high risk of computerisation over the next 20 years. With a ‘Find out my automation risk’ tool published on the BBC website, there’s little wonder people began to feel uneasy about their job security.
As HR professionals we need to be open and honest with our workforce about whether job automation is a possibility. If it is, management needs to think about whether employees’ skills can be redeployed within the business. If it isn’t, we need to proactively reassure employees, rather than allowing a mist of uncertainty to dampen morale.
But where do we stand? How did HR practitioners rank in the study? Thankfully, the algorithm concluded that the chance of automation is ‘not very likely’ (24 per cent). And there are many reasons I agree.
Look at the accounting profession. The market is crowded with bookkeeping, workflow and rule space tools that mean many financial-related processes can be automated with ease. But this hasn’t rendered accountants redundant. Such systems cannot think laterally and creatively about how to increase profitability or fund business growth plans. They cannot add the value that a truly skilful accountant can.
Savvy accountants have used technology to streamline the basics, and enable them to think smarter. HR must do the same. If this is the role a robot plays in a number-centric environment, it definitely isn’t going to replace a human in a people-focused landscape.
Of course HR technology reduces admin. So if someone wants to simply push paper around their desk all day, they may need to rethink their use of time. But such employees would soon get found out anyway – it wouldn’t be technology’s fault that they were replaced.
It boils down to the fact that there are some skillsets that technology cannot deliver. A system cannot become a trusted team member who a colleague can confide in. Think about the medical industry: state-of-the-art devices assist surgeons and GPs with the procedures and diagnoses that they carry out. But how many of us would be wholly comfortable with conversing with, and putting our lives in the hands of, a robot? There’s a lot to be said for human psychology.
A system can also produce fantastic statistics. It can do incredible things with millions of lines of employee data. But it can’t truly make sense of it. It cannot tell a boardroom how we tackle a workforce-planning headache. It can’t plan for, or react to, a shift in the economy that will present newfound recruitment challenges or opportunities.
A recent CIPD community blog said ‘technology is putting the H back into HR’, and that is so true. Rather than being feared, technology should be embraced. It can boost productivity, improve agility and, ultimately, empower HR professionals to be more proactive, strategic thinkers who drive employee engagement and strengthen organisations’ bottom lines. Now is not the time to be running scared.
Helen Stead is a senior HR business partner for Cascade HR, part of IRIS Human Capital Management