Despite headlines predicting the demise of the human worker, one industry expert says that the rise of the machine is not to be feared
When discussing the upcoming technological revolution of the machines, Alistair Cox, CEO of Hays, says that the human worker’s days are definitely not numbered.
“I find it hard to believe some of the more dramatic headlines, many of which appear to discount the importance of personal relationships and intuition, for which everyone in business knows there is no substitute,” he said.
According to Cox, there are four reasons why businesses will always need people as much if not more than automated robots.
People will become a premium
“It’s too easy to forget that no matter the industry or sector, those at the end of the sales funnel are human,” said Cox.
Despite technology always re-valuing skills and the widespread permeation of the digital world into every aspect of our lives, there will be an increased premium on human engagement in the future.
“We must all be aware that technology can be replicated by your competitors but your people can’t,” Cox stated. “We should therefore look at robots not as a threat, but as a means of freeing up time, increasing capacity and productivity and ultimately allowing businesses to focus on the human side of what they do.”
There is no rapport with a robot
“I’ve yet to meet a robot that can motivate a workforce, bank goodwill, return a favour or build a relationship, qualities that enable a business to run smoothly and get things done.”
Cox adds that meaningful personal relationships are what make employees go the extra mile in their work – an aspect which cannot be replicated by robots.
You cannot program innovation
True innovation requires collaboration, idea sharing and creativity that cannot be programmed or plugged into a machine, Cox said.
“These moments are often unplanned and happen in the office corridor, over a drink in the evening or when joining a meeting you might not have been scheduled to attend.”
We should trust human instinct
“While technology can execute strategy, planning is best left in the hands of people. Natural intuition cannot be coded and we’ve all seen examples of results that fly in the face of prior data.”
Cox adds that you can’t program culture and ‘gut instinct’ into a machine, two factors which are required in a business when it comes to team delegation and future proofing.
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“I find it hard to believe some of the more dramatic headlines, many of which appear to discount the importance of personal relationships and intuition, for which everyone in business knows there is no substitute,” he said.
According to Cox, there are four reasons why businesses will always need people as much if not more than automated robots.
People will become a premium
“It’s too easy to forget that no matter the industry or sector, those at the end of the sales funnel are human,” said Cox.
Despite technology always re-valuing skills and the widespread permeation of the digital world into every aspect of our lives, there will be an increased premium on human engagement in the future.
“We must all be aware that technology can be replicated by your competitors but your people can’t,” Cox stated. “We should therefore look at robots not as a threat, but as a means of freeing up time, increasing capacity and productivity and ultimately allowing businesses to focus on the human side of what they do.”
There is no rapport with a robot
“I’ve yet to meet a robot that can motivate a workforce, bank goodwill, return a favour or build a relationship, qualities that enable a business to run smoothly and get things done.”
Cox adds that meaningful personal relationships are what make employees go the extra mile in their work – an aspect which cannot be replicated by robots.
You cannot program innovation
True innovation requires collaboration, idea sharing and creativity that cannot be programmed or plugged into a machine, Cox said.
“These moments are often unplanned and happen in the office corridor, over a drink in the evening or when joining a meeting you might not have been scheduled to attend.”
We should trust human instinct
“While technology can execute strategy, planning is best left in the hands of people. Natural intuition cannot be coded and we’ve all seen examples of results that fly in the face of prior data.”
Cox adds that you can’t program culture and ‘gut instinct’ into a machine, two factors which are required in a business when it comes to team delegation and future proofing.
Related stories:
Is this the start of the AI revolution?
10 industry-changing tech disruptions for HR in 2016
Will driverless cars be the next big thing for HR?
