Undertaking Automation in the World of Work (WoW) and Society Through Human Resources

Abstract

Accelerated progress in the field of technology has opened avenues for automation to be an integral part of the World of Work (WoW) and society. A combination of various forms of automation can perform a single job with results that are error-free and less arduous compared to end results produced by humans. Although automation pessimists worry about the future of jobs when it replaces humans, the optimists believe that humans possess social traits like common sense, instinct, and empathy that automation will take decades to perfect. However, contemporary research has made daunting inferences that automation possibly will perform tasks—pieces of the total production process of different jobs—that are repetitive in nature regardless of the pay grade that they belong to. Hence, the ratio may differ, but the influence of automation at the WoW at all levels, from blue- and white-collar workers to C-suite executives could be high. Thus, the aim of this paper is to highlight the need of HR practitioners to nudge the organization, society, and human capital for the new WoW where human resource practitioners are able to convince organizations to be willing to retrain and upskill their employees, prepare society to produce new recruits equipped with technical and emotional skills, and groom human capital to appreciate retraining and adopt lifelong learning to sustain in the new WoW. This paper provides an overview on how industrial revolutions in the past changed the nature of jobs; highlights ongoing research; and studies how HR practitioners can help society, organization, and human capital devote their energy wisely while being mindful of the revolution that automation may bring for enhanced return on investment (RoI).



Author Information
Biva Joshi, International Monetary Fund, United States

Paper Information
Conference: ACSS2019
Stream: Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences

This paper is part of the ACSS2019 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon