AC 1.4: The Scale of Technology within Organisations and its Impact on Work

Organisations have immensely benefited from the technological revolution even as some corporate actors point out to dangers present when technology appears to take off in a more accelerated speed much more than organisations can bear. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) has consistently tracked the interaction of employees with technology placing the impact on organisations under focus (CIPD, 2020). One of the key takeaways is that technology has risen to the position of a partner to employees around the world. A workstation that required handwritten memo can now circulate memos through such tools as email, team-based digital platforms i.e Slack, TEAMS and WhatsApp groups. Web conferencing capacities now enable remote-based working processes. Facilities have access to technology that can accelerate the creation of more efficient applications and programs clearing the way for accelerated performance and a high value for money. CIPD’s 2020 report on employee experience around technology presents that a bulk of current people roles will be automated in a decade or so (CIPD, 2020). The automation implies a huge reduction on errors and a rise in reliability and delivery.

Employees have reported substantive changes in work execution after absorbing technology in their duties. CIPD reports that 32% of employees have reported changes in the use of technologies over the last one year (CIPD, 2020). About 505 of the employees surveyed by CIPD indicated the need to update their skills and match the outputs advanced by technology (CIPD, 2020). Organisations should interpret such findings to imply increased responsibility around facilitating more engaging workplaces for employees. For example, facilities should expose communication workers to consistent tool use training capable of empowering the employees into useful use of technologies. A member of staff in the communication department will not appreciate the value of web conference tools if they cannot understand mechanisms of using them.

Organisational stakeholders across various industries do promote the observation that too much workplace automation could lead to massive job losses for ‘conventional’ employees. The bulk of stakeholders promoting this position are unions, governments and employees. However, it is notable that automation amplifies efficiency and paves way of the rise of bigger and more vibrant institutions. Strengthening the institutions leads to widened opportunities. It is in the interest of organizations through their collective lobbies and associations to impress on employees that competitive industries imply increased openings. Further, technology keeps on expanding the entrepreneurial space. Start-ups offering technology support services are rising by the minute and the present extremely new workplace positions. More attention on technology-facilitated collaboration enhances organisational intersection and facilitates the insight necessary to illustrate new directions. Organisations appropriating resources towards showing employees how technology can qualify as a workplace partner are playing a right part in taking employees to the next level.