Bots, Collaboration, and the Importance of Human Skills
- By DWFTrends editors
- May 03, 2022
Automation is becoming increasingly important in the workplace as more employees collaborate with bots to get their work done. According to a report from IDC, around 60% of employees in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APeJ) are already using bots for work, and 60% are likely to automate their tasks using low code platforms in the future.
This shift is being driven by the need for companies to be more agile and efficient in their operations and the desire to improve employee productivity. As a result, companies are turning to automation to help them streamline their workflows and get more done in less time.
Contrary to expectations, employees in the region view automation as a positive development. They expect automation to positively impact their jobs – either by increasing their productivity and speeding up the completion of tasks or by reskilling them to work with automated tools.
"APeJ employees recognize the need for relevant learning and reskilling efforts, which are pivotal to being future-ready together with having the digital skill requirements essential for their career growth. Over one-third of employees across the Asia Pacific prefer specialized technology providers as their digital skill trainers," the survey notes.
For example, low code platforms provide a visual way of building applications, making it easier for anyone with minimal technical knowledge to automate their work. These platforms allow employees to quickly create and modify applications without the need for coding or other advanced technical skills.
“The pandemic has altered the landscape of work models, impacting businesses of all shapes and sizes. With organizations thinking about the required changes they must implement to fit in the new normal, expediting digitalization efforts, bringing more IT agility, and automation empowerment to the business users have emerged as vital business requirements,” says Dr. Lily Phan, research director for Future of Work, IDC Asia/Pacific.
In an interview with MichaelPage, workplace futurist and author Alexandra Levit says that technology teams could be those most at risk from automation if they do not sharpen key skill sets. Furthermore, they should also focus on developing their interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution, diplomacy, empathy, judgment, intuition, creativity, and innovation.
"It's about making sure you're on top of where your industry is going. Where you can't go wrong is the human skills elements. These areas have been very challenging for machines for some time now," Levit adds.
Image credit: iStockphoto/Atlas Studio