Is AI the key to happier, more productive people?
Bad news! Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that output per hour for the final quarter of 2018 fell for the second-time last year. More generally, UK productivity growth lags behind many other European economies, even before the financial crisis, putting the country near the bottom of the G7.
To address the challenge of productivity, managers and leaders must take account of the changing nature of the workplace and new expectations of those who work in it.
Happy people, better results
There’s a clear correlation between happiness and productivity. Happy, engaged employees are committed and motivated towards success for themselves and for your business. This positive attitude is then projected forward creating satisfied customers and favourable business outcomes.
One recent survey revealed that satisfied employees are between 7 and 12 percent more productive. Furthermore, these employees are more likely to stay with you for the long-term, while your reputation as a happy place to work will attract precisely the top talent you need to prosper and grow.
Creating an engaging, people-focused working culture is not only key in addressing the current productivity crisis but also in future-proofing output.
With tech-savvy millennials set to make up as much as 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, organisations must harness the opportunities the shifting shape of the workplace present to make themselves attractive to a younger generation that sees the traditional office job as an outmoded relic.
The advance of AI
How can automation and AI help create a happier workplace? Shouldn’t employees be running scared from tech advancing to take their jobs?
Far from being on the threshold of a dystopian future, all the signs are that workplace technology is set to deliver huge advantages to organisations and their employees – through partnership.
A 2018 World Economic Forum report predicts that the loss of 1 million jobs will be more than offset by the gain of 1.75 million new ones.
And by adopting new technologies organisations can provide employees with the means to easily communicate with headquarters and each other and get the data they need in an instant. Meanwhile managers can more easily assign tasks, track progress, ensure compliance and sustain quality standards. The combined result gives workers the freedom to do more of what’s important.
Getting the best out of your people
AI is nowhere close to exhibiting attributes like creativity, empathy, intuitive judgement and original thinking – qualities that uniquely define human beings.
What automation can do is free your people, shifting their attention and energy onto role-specific, value-added activities. It could mean spending more time in the classroom for teachers, greater emphasis on patient care for health workers, better customers service in hospitality even more face time with clients for recruiters. There’s barely an industry that doesn’t benefit.
In a recent survey of 1,000 workers, half of them identified the top benefit of automation as freeing them from routine, time-consuming and repetitive tasks.
Automation provides the opportunity to lift the drudgery of mundane and repetitive tasks from the shoulders of your workforce, letting them thrive in the areas they are best at.
By embracing the shifting shape of the workplace, you can create a happy attractive culture, amplify your people’s talents and bring in the best results for your organisation.
