How Automation Will Play into the Post-COVID-19 Workplace

As workplaces and offices everywhere have struggled to cope with the restrictions brought on by social distancing mandates, the adoption of automated solutions has surged ahead. Of course, this does open a few important questions to consider. For instance, what this could mean for employment post-pandemic, and how automation may be used in the future to mitigate the impacts we’re currently experiencing.

The Situation

As COVID-19 spread across the world, many businesses suddenly found themselves in a very tough spot—especially those who were not deemed essential and were therefore unable to open to help reduce the risk to their employees. To try and counter this, many businesses have adopted assorted tools to simplify their responsibilities and maximize their output—including automation.

Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, are feeling significant pressure to deliver right now, as many are seeking treatment options for the COVID-19 virus. To assist with the more administrative and record-keeping aspects of their operations, these companies have put solutions in place that can accomplish what would have otherwise taken weeks in mere days. By removing rote responsibilities from an employee’s workflow, this employee’s time can be better spent elsewhere.

The Future

It is likely that these kinds of solutions will be adopted on a wider scale when implementing them can help improve safety within the work environment. Furthermore, counter to the fear many have held that “the machines will take our jobs,” the focus has increasingly been on an approach that emphasizes an optimal end result through the combined efforts of your human workers and the output produced by the tools they have at their disposal.

Calculators didn’t replace accountants, they just made their jobs far more efficient, and there are countless more examples that we could cite.

Of course, this does mean that your employees will need to adapt to these changes as well. By learning new skills and embracing the capabilities of modern technology, your team members can enable themselves to accomplish far greater results than they could previously, without the procedural responsibilities that would once eat up their time.

The real question is how your business will use these trends to innovate and maintain itself, especially during challenging times like the one at hand. We can help you to do so with modern technology solutions and services. Learn more about what we have to offer by calling (703) 821-8200 today.