Employees in today’s workforce are spread thin. Talent shortages are at an all-time high and over 70 percent of employers today continue to struggle filling open positions. This means that employees are doing the work of several people at once. Adding to that stress, employees are reporting that they are spending majority of their day doing “work about work” including sending emails, chasing status updates, and managing priorities. Only one-third of their day is spent doing the job they were actually hired to do.
This is taking a toll on the workforce. In fact, many employees are reevaluating what is actually “worth it” at work. According to a recent Microsoft survey,53 percent of employees are more likely to prioritize their health and well-being over work. Employees are exhausted.
It’s time for something to change — and employers know this. But how do employers alleviate the burden on employees, deal with staffing shortages, and prepare for the future of work? The answer: Automation. Our team at Futurum Research collaborated with Automation Anywhere on a global research study to better understand what is happening with today’s automation deployments and to learn what might happen in the years ahead. There is a better way to work, keep employees satisfied and productive, and to find more success in the future and that starts with understanding the power that automation has in the enterprise.
Automation in a Flood of Disruption, Continues to Drive Transformation
In the last two years, we’ve dealt with unprecedented disruptions across the enterprise. From the global pandemic to continuing geopolitical issues, operational efficiencies from the supply chain to customer service have been impacted. Many organizations turned to automation and RPA to mitigate the impact that these disruptions had. Majority of respondents (52%) feel that automation has become more important to meet customer needs. Just under half (45%) used automation in the last year to address supply chain issues. Most importantly though? Sixty-one percent of respondents turned to automation to address staffing issues.
Automation technologies have never been more valuable as business operations have been completely upended. According to Futurum’s 2020 Digital Transformation Index, 67 percent of organizations had to rethink their entire business model and 63 percent had to rethink their operational models at the start of the pandemic. Digital transformation happened on steroids in the last two years and automation played a part. An overwhelming majority (95%) say automation is a key part of their transformation strategies now and for the future.
Recognizing and understanding the changes currently happening in the enterprise, it’s important for organizations to continue to transform. This means figuring out where automation deployments can play the biggest role and how they can continue to enable transformation, drive employee productivity, and overall growth.
The Drivers of Automation Deployments in the Future
According to our survey findings, automation deployments are increasing, exponentially. Looking at the next 12 months, 70 percent of our respondents estimate at least 30 percent of regular work activities in customer service, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and IT could potentially be automated.
So, what is driving the increase in automation? We found that the top two drivers for implementation are cutting costs to save capital and improving employee experiences. This is not surprising. Businesses are operating on razor thin margins and need to save money wherever they can. And the employee experience has never been more important to help with employee retention and recruitment.
In fact, 94 percent of respondents say moving employees to higher-value work is a top priority for automation deployments in the coming year. This is an exciting opportunity for change and one that I’m sure will pay off with happier and more productive employees. Who can say no that?
The Future of Work Needs Automation
We are facing more changes and challenges in the workplace than ever before. And while this can seem daunting at first, these survey results show us that organizations are embracing the opportunity to continue to transform and transform for the better.
Who are the organizations to emulate? What are they focusing on? According to our research, they are helping their employees work smarter with automation, leveraging automation across the enterprise, focusing on agility, and treating automation as a core pillar of their future of work strategy.
Employees want to spend more time working on things of value and less time on repetitive tasks. And I can’t say I blame them. Doing valuable work that contributes to an organization’s success can ultimately lead to better employee retention.
At the same time, organizations want to enhance business continuity and drive innovation to increase growth. This is why automation technologies are crucial for success. Automation can free up employees to work on higher value tasks, driving more productivity, innovation, and ultimately better business continuity.
So where do we go from here? Savvy organizations will continue to figure out a way to increase automation deployments across the enterprise. The smartest leaders will listen to employees and provide tools to help them with what they need. And lastly, the forward-thinking companies will create a culture of agility around their automation deployments to be able to mitigate any future disruptions. Doing so will ensure success for the future of work.
