advertisement
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

A surprising percentage of people want to use robots to support their careers

This week Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research firm, released its 2021 workplace trends study to identify areas where companies can help support their employees in terms of the development of their careers.

While there were several trends uncovered, one of the headline grabbing ones is employees increasingly positive attitude towards the use of robots. To that end, the study says 82 percent of respondents believe robots can support their careers better than humans.

That is a rather significant portion, considering the study leveraged the insight of over 14 600 employees, managers, HR leaders and C-level executives across 13 countries.

The pandemic’s impact

What makes this statistic even more interesting is the general negative sentiment on robots and automation being implemented across a myriad industries, with fears rising that it may lead to a loss of jobs and scores of people being left behind if they show capacity or inclination to reskill.

A potential reason why employees are more open to the use of robots may have to do with the pandemic, which has taken a toll in more than one way over the past two years.

To that end, the study shows that 80 percent of people have been negatively impacted by the last year’s events.

Many struggled financially of course, registering at 29 percent, as well as 28 percent suffering from declining mental health, 25 percent lacking career motivation and 23 percent feeling disconnected from their own lives.

Added to this is the amount of people who feel little to no control over their personal and professional lives doubling since the start of the pandemic.

“People noted they have lost control over their futures (43 percent); personal lives (46 percent); careers (41 percent); and relationships (39 percent),” a summary of the study points out.

“76 percent of people feel stuck in their personal lives, feeling anxiety about their future (31 percent); trapped in the same routine (27 percent); and more loneliness than ever before (26 percent),” the summary adds.

Growing discontent?

It therefore looks like the current state of work sits at the precipice of something substantial, as employees and employers alike are assessing what they value as important, both in terms of the skills they acquire to open up avenues for further advancement, as well as their general work-life balance.

On that front, the study revealed that, “93 percent of people used the past year to reflect on their lives and 88 percent said the meaning of success has changed for them since the pandemic, with work-life balance (42 percent); mental health (37 percent); and workplace flexibility (33 percent) now top priorities.”

There is quite a bit of scope then for employers to step in and assist, especially if they wish to not only retain talent, but continue to develop it too.

To that end, 85 percent of the global workforce are not satisfied with their employer’s support, according to the study.

“They are looking for organizations to provide more learning and skills development (34 percent); higher salaries (31 percent); and opportunities for new roles within their company (30 percent),” it adds.

Whether the workplace will change to meet these emerging needs remains to be seen, but there is clearly an opportunity for savvy businesses to react.

To download and read the 2021 Oracle and Workplace Intelligence study, head here.

[Image – Photo by Phillip Glickman on Unsplash]

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

Subscribe to
our newsletters

[mailpoet_form id=”1″]