Impact of new technology on workers’ life
Throughout the years, technology has progressed at a furious pace, affecting every single domain of people’s lives. And of course, this also affects the way employees and workers perform their jobs. In fact, not only has technology considerably upgraded working conditions by increasing productivity, but it has also made working from any place easier than we thought. But we must take into account the fact that promising developments also produce consequences. So, here are some of the impacts technology does have on our working life.
Adoption of digital solutions in the workplace
From a working place perspective, almost
all types of industries are undergoing digital transformation. In fact, many digital
transformations have been allowed by what we call SaaS applications. The latter
is being helpful essentially for elements of business management such as database
services, finance, customer relationship management, big data analytics, human
resources, and much more.
And today, companies and other organizations
use this digital solution to increase their operational efficiencies, business
models, and of course customer experience. For instance, in retail businesses, such
a solution can help a company track its customers, assets, or portfolio. Sensors
are also being used to increase efficiency. But, even if technology can help us
do anything without the assistance of humans, it’s always important to keep in
mind that successful transformation yet requires some effort from companies’ staff.
Use of sophisticated automation
The first types of automation we know involved
using robots to complete tasks done by people. It’s now time to get rid of this
and make a room for more sophisticated automation, also called
hyper-automation. This brand new kind of automation actually involves amassing
multiple machine software packages on available automation tools to produce
more types of work. There is an issue though: does hyper-automation replace
workers? Or does it just change or accelerate their workflow? If despite the
usage of hyper-automation, we still need human supervision, then some see it as
a collaborative effort between robotic machinery and people.
Working experience becoming easier
The influence of new technology, in
every industrial and professional domain, has magically increased the pace at
which business occurs. The technology used in some workplaces has considerably
helped workers become more efficient. In fact, tasks that are used to taking
hours, take a few minutes now to be completed; messages and proposals are instantaneously
sent and payments are transferred in no time.
Also today, we can see significant
efforts made by employers to improve their employees experience. One of the
proofs of that engagement is recognizing remote workers, and providing the right
technology and equipment to make working remotely a perfect success. As a
result, this made workers become more productive than ever before.
Removing old office habits
The key point of technology that
affects the workplace system is changing the workplace itself. Unlike contracts
that require you to work onsite, many other open positions may allow you to
work remotely. This is made possible because many technology tools have been
designed to help better communicate.
Thus, thanks to those connected
communication tools, team coordination and collaboration become easier. Even while
being far away from each other, it is possible to hold meetings remotely with
video-conferencing equipment, working on the same documents once at a time via
tools like Google Drive, Trello, and more.
Plus, on one hand, you are no longer obliged
to knock at every business door you find looking for jobs in your area. You can
just go on some worksites and find available positions from anywhere. On the
other hand, hiring managers can also seek and find talented candidates on the internet.
However, this may lead to some side effects…
Creating difficulties in adapting
While technology has made things to
get more modernized, automated, and simplified, its changes in the working
environment would also lead to some consequences. First, separating workers (who
were used to seeing each other at work) by screens may create miscommunication.
Email and automated voicemails may get some on their nerves especially those who
are accustomed to the former way. That is, brainstorm ideas; getting everyone
in a meeting room and talk everything out; print out documents, and pen down corrections.
Moreover, some may struggle to find work, as more industries are relying on digital solutions and technical tools. If in the upcoming years, workers are not confident about their ability to use new technology, this is definitely going to be a great deal. So in whatever you do, you should be able to find a digital job that matches your skills. And the sooner you do it, the better it will be.
Difficulties in detaching from old working habits
Even with the better conditions
allowed by working remotely, some workers find themselves working beyond their normal
workday. Some may work over the weekend or when they are sick. That said, even
if working at any place and any time is a great opportunity, your work seems to
take more hours to get done. It may often feel like you never really have a
break or leave the office.
Consistently having a computer, being always
connected to your work email, added to the snoozing or rather flashing notifications
make it feel difficult to be truly off for a while. It may affect workers’
performance and reduce their results because of the stress of always being in
work mode. Consequences: this does not really result in better work; at worse,
it may lead to burnout, lack of proper sleep, and sometimes depression.
Recap’
People tend to say that technology is
everywhere, whether it is in the field of business, health, education, and more.
So, we all need to follow the pace. But what if tech, along with its changes
haven't exactly been taking into account all kind of businesses including small
ones? Will it be possible to catch up? The probable solution here is to make people
and machines work together in harmony. Because if technology is everywhere, people
are everywhere too. However, we should acknowledge that technology has connected
people more than ever before, and has made great changes when it comes to enhancing
working conditions.