Digital workers are intelligent software bots that automate everyday workflows. They combine the best of modern technology: artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotic process automation (RPA), and visual intelligence. They are rapidly shaping the future of work, and changing the trajectory of innovation.
The growing integration of bots in the workplace has many people wondering to what extent jobs will be automated away and which jobs will be created to replace them. The answer is quite nuanced and will likely require the close collaboration of bots and humans in hybrid roles going forward.
How do employers start preparing their human workforce for trust relationships with bots that will increasingly take over repetitive, tedious and labor- and cost-intensive processes? The following elements will be key in transitioning a growing collaboration between bots and human employees:
Reiterating that Digital Workers Will be Creating New Opportunities
Employees are oftentimes intimidated by digital workers or bots, believing that these technological innovations will displace them in the workplace. Without proper preparation and training, this may indeed be a product of such developments, but employers have a significant part to play in this dynamic. Employers need to re-imagine roles such that when processes are automated, people are able to get back to doing the things they do best, like creating and innovating.
Helping Human Employees Collaborate with Digital Workers
Teamwork is an important skill set among employees, and employers need to stress that collaboration and teamwork need to continue in the same vein between employees and their bot counterparts. Digital workers are introduced to make life easier for employees, but this relationship can only be established on the back of trust and collaboration. Once employees begin to rely on digital workers for specific output, deliverables will follow a more targeted process of production, which will optimize employees’ talents and bots’ inputs.
Continuously Upskilling Employees to Take on More Value-Added Roles
The above two points can only be achieved if employers are continually investing in their employees’ upskilling, training and development. Digital counterparts are there to empower human employees to achieve more – but they can only do so if they are consistently upskilled. If digital workers begin to outperform employees, it will be difficult to forge trust-based collaborative relationships that open up opportunities in the workforce.
