Workplace Automation Research Articles

The Obsolescence of Labour? Philosophical-Political Reflections on Contemporary Manifestations of Labour

The coordinates of contemporary labour are in continuous and rapid transformation. On the one hand, precariousness and flexibility are watchwords in today’s labour policies. On the other hand, the encroachment of working time into living time, as well as the accelerated platformisation and automation of workplaces, leads us to reflect on the issue of human dignity and freedom. Already in the middle of the last century, the philosopher of technique Günther Anders questioned whether the obsolescence of the human being does also concern the obsolescence of labour. In fact, he had already foreseen how contemporary workers are unfree not only because they are excluded from the ownership of “their” means of production or products, but because they do not overlook the whole of the production context in which they are integrated. At the same time, workers do not know the end product and its meaning - these remain “transcendent” issues. Against this background, we intend to discuss the extent to which the traditional concept of labour is obsolete through the analysis of its fundamental coordinates: space, time and relations. The main purpose will be to highlight risks and perplexities regarding the new dimension of labour. This will be done through the interpretative lens of political philosophy but without excluding transdisciplinary and intersectional insights.

Automated workforce, financial precarities and family consumption: The importance of demand-side policies under the background of automation applications

The continuous innovation of automation technology is expanding its application in the workplace, with wide-ranging implications for the economy and society. However, it is not yet clear how workplace automation changes people’s consumption behavior. This paper conducts an empirical analysis in this regard based on the Chinese General Social Survey. The main results are shown as follows: (1) One standard deviation increase in automation contributes to an average reduction of 7.073 % in family consumption. This finding is validated by conducting several robustness and endogeneity checks using various measures of automation and consumption, instrumental variable approach, placebo analysis, etc. (2) The mechanism is that automation decreases family income and work-related social capital, resulting in a decline in families’ socioeconomic status and increased financial precarities. In addition, financial uncertainties brought about by automation decrease people’s subjective well-being, expectations for future life and risk appetite, thus prompting them to lower consumption as a precautionary measure to prepare for potential risks caused by the technological change. (3) Automation has greater negative effects on hedonic and developmental consumption, which are about three times the impact on non-hedonic and basic living expenses respectively, thus leading to a downgrade in families’ consumption structure. In addition, its effect is more pronounced for families with lower economic status, having no houses and living in urban areas. This study also highlights the importance of demand-side policies in the application of automation technology by finding that better labor protection is needed to mitigate automation’s adverse consequences for family consumption. In the context of automation’s increasingly profound impact on the society, this research has important policy implications.

Automation and worker organisation

ABSTRACT In this study, we estimate the effect of workplace automation on the probability of unionization, examining different worker groups in the manufacturing sector in Norway. The results show that automation increases the probability of unionization for the most exposed workers. This group of workers is the most negatively affected in terms of employment and wages, suggesting that the increase in unionization rates is a response to job and wage uncertainty arising from automation.

Workplace Automation and Corporate Liquidity Policy

Using an occupational probability of computerization, we measure a firm’s ability to replace labor with automated capital. Our evidence suggests that the potential to automate a workforce enhances operating flexibility, allowing firms to hold less precautionary cash. To provide evidence for this mechanism, we exploit the 2011–2012 Thailand hard drive crisis as an exogenous shock to the cost of automation. In addition, the negative relation between prospective automation and cash holdings is greater for firms with a lower expected cost of worker displacement and greater labor-induced operating leverage. This paper was accepted by Lukas Schmid, finance. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.03902 .

Impact of Technological Advancements on Human Existence

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to examine the impact of technological advancements on human existence. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to impact of technological advancements on human existence. Preliminary empirical review revealed that technology exerted a dual influence on society, both enhancing and detracting from human well-being. Empirical findings revealed that while innovations like smartphones and social media platforms offered unprecedented connectivity, they also posed risks to mental health and social relationships. Similarly, workplace automation and AI integration improved productivity but raised concerns about job displacement. Furthermore, the study emphasized the importance of considering socio-cultural, economic, and environmental factors in understanding technology's impact. Overall, the findings underscored the need for a balanced approach to technological innovation that prioritizes human well-being, equity, and sustainability, suggesting initiatives such as promoting digital literacy and fostering inclusive technological development. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Technological Determinism, Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) and Actor-Network Theory (ANT) may be used to anchor future studies on technological advancements on human existence. The study provided recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy. It suggested further exploration of interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks to understand technology's complex dynamics, advocated for proactive strategies in organizations to mitigate negative impacts, and called for regulatory frameworks balancing innovation with societal values. These recommendations aimed to foster digital literacy, ethical innovation, and equitable access to technology, guiding stakeholders in navigating the complexities of technology's influence on society. Keywords: Technological Advancements, Human Existence, Interdisciplinary, Digital Literacy, Ethical Innovation, Regulation, Equity, Innovation, Societal Values, Technology's Influence

Wellbeing in the age of virtual teams and workplace automation – a systematic review and future research agenda

Purpose In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic organisations are adapting to a new environment of global talent shortages, economic uncertainty and geo-political turmoil. As an outcome, the organisational strategies of digital transformation and remote working have been accelerated in the race to boost innovation, competitivity and attract staff. This has led to the rise of two new organisational dynamics: the increase of virtual teams (VTs) and focus on widespread work automation. However, despite the rise of these two related phenomena, literature does not connect them as one research area, and there is a gap in the understanding of the new employee wellbeing needs they form and how to respond to them. This paper aims to bridge this gap through a systematic literature across these areas. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts a systematic literature review across the areas of leadership, VTs and automation over the past three years. Findings In this review, a number of newly arising employee wellbeing needs are identified such as fear of job displacement, a lack of self-efficacy and social cohesion, poor relationships with leaders and more. In addition, this paper recommends three fundamental research gaps to be addressed by future studies: 1. How to build and cultivate the new leadership skills needed to support VTs and workplace automation? 2. How to design work in a way that caters for employee wellbeing needs when operating in VTs or hybrid teams and working on or with workplace automation? 3. How to design work in a way that builds and emphasises the new employee skillsets to support augmentation and solves for the new employee wellbeing needs experienced by workplace automation? Originality/value This paper provides a novel contribution to literature by centralising current schools of thought across the cross-disciplinary themes and synthesising literature to recommend new wellbeing and leadership skills for organisations to focus on, alongside producing a new research agenda for scholars to focus.

Re-visiting the Leadership Gap

The organisational focus on workplace automation is fuelling the evolution of the labour market towards task focused work systems, and an emerging gig economy. This evolution creates new demands on organisational leaders to introduce flexible and agile management techniques, whilst maintaining a strategic focus on upskilling and reskilling their employees for a digitalised world. We revisit our previous GJSD paper, “Mind the leadership gap”, to further emphasise these aspects of the changing work environment and introduce 1. Their potential influence on organisational belonging, and 2. The resultant impact on leadership styles and skills. This paper presents a short synthesis of the complex challenges faced by leaders within such an operating environment. This is followed by four further proposals for the future research agenda along with two suggested research methods which enhance our previous call to action on the leadership gap.

The gender gap in attitudes toward workplace technological change

Abstract We provide the first systematic analysis of how attitudes toward workplace automation and artificial intelligence (AI) vary by gender, using survey data from ten countries. Our analyses reveal a significant gender gap in the perceived fairness of automation and AI, similar in magnitude to that of job offshoring. Drawing on the literature on economic shocks, we examine four explanations based on gender differences in (a) economic self-interest, (b) technological knowledge, (c) sociotropic concerns and (d) social status perceptions. Including these variables in our models, however, narrows the observed gender gap by only 40%. To better understand the sources of attitudinal variation by gender, we rely on Kitagawa–Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition, which shows that distributional differences in group characteristics, specifically women’s lower levels of technological knowledge and self-reported social status, account for approximately one-third of the gap, while the other two-thirds are explained by differences in how specific variables differentially influence attitudes.

Регулирование труда уязвимых групп работников: вызовы и пути их преодоления в эру искусственного интеллект

Challenges of vulnerable employees’ legal regulation in connection with the introduction of artificial intelligence and workplace automation are primarily due to the deepening and scaling of discrimination, the imperceptible replacement of labor relations with unstable employment. One of the legal ways to overcome negative trends is to create a fair framework of labor law regulation based on informing employees about the artificial intelligence technologies used, checking algorithms for discriminatory attitudes, limiting personnel decision-making using artificial intelligence technologies.

Impacts of workplace automation on energy poverty: The new challenge of achieving SDG 7 in the context of technological revolution

This paper systematically examines how workplace automation impacts energy poverty from a demand-side perspective, revealing a new challenge for Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) in the context of technological revolution. Our research demonstrates that workplace automation significantly increases household energy poverty. This finding is robust when using the instrumental variable approach to tackle endogeneity, as well as employing different automation and energy poverty measures, placebo tests, and machine learning methods for robustness checks. Automation's impact mechanism is that it reduces people's income and work-related social capital, thus exposing households to higher risks of energy poverty. Moreover, its consequences are more prominent for rural households, less educated people, non-migrants, those without labor contracts, non trade-union members, and out-of-system workers. Thus enhancing human capital, promoting free movement of workers, and providing better labor protection contribute to weakening the adverse impact of the technological shock. Meanwhile, we find that improving the price reasonability, stability, security and accessibility of energy supply can also mitigate the negative effects of workplace automation on household energy consumption. In the dual context of the fourth technological revolution promoting industrial automation as well as the increasing urgency to achieve SDG 7, findings of this paper have important policy implications.

Workplace Automation and Corporate Innovation

Workplace Automation and Corporate Innovation

Rational Apathy: Unveiling the Hidden Consequences of Workplace Automation

Rational Apathy: Unveiling the Hidden Consequences of Workplace Automation

OSH related risks and opportunities for industrial human-robot interaction: results from literature and practice.

Robotic systems are an integral component of today's work place automation, especially in industrial settings. Due to technological advancements, we see new forms of human-robot interaction emerge which are related to different OSH risks and benefits. We present a multifaceted analysis of risks and opportunities regarding robotic systems in the context of task automation in the industrial sector. This includes the scientific perspective through literature review as well as the workers' expectations in form of use case evaluations. Based on the results, with regards to human-centred workplace design and occupational safety and health (OSH), implications for the practical application are derived and presented. For the literature review a selected subset of papers from a systematic review was extracted. Five systematic reviews and meta-analysis (492 primary studies) focused on the topic of task automation via robotic systems and OSH. These were extracted and categorised into physical, psychosocial and organisational factors based on an OSH-factors framework for advanced robotics developed for the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). To assess the workers' perspective, 27 workers from three European manufacturing companies were asked about their expectations regarding benefits and challenges of robotic systems at their workplace. The answers were translated and categorised in accordance with the framework as well. The statements, both from literature and the survey were then analysed according to the qualitative content analysis, to gain additional insight into the underlying structure and trends in them. As a result, new categories were formed deductively. The analysis showed that the framework is capable to help categorise both findings from literature and worker survey into basic categories with good interrater reliability. Regarding the proposed subcategories however, it failed to reflect the complexity of the workers' expectations. The results of the worker evaluation as well as literature findings both predominantly highlight the psychosocial impact these systems may have on workers. Organisational risks or changes are underrepresented in both groups. Workers' initial expectations lean towards a positive impact.

Work automation and the rise of virtual teams: how to lead employees in the post-pandemic world

PurposeTo support senior leaders and HR practitioners with building the internal leadership capabilities to oversee automation in a virtual teams environment.Design/methodology/approachThis point of view paper presents the topic of workplace automation in a virtual teams environment through contextual practitioner literature sources.FindingsSix new capabilities are suggested for the modern leader.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a scarcely researched area which is of enormous relevance in the post-covid age of remote working and digital transformation agendas, alongside presenting recommendations for HR practitioners and senior leaders to build internal leadership capabilities.

The age of automation: what skills do employees need to stay relevant?

PurposeThis viewpoint paper envisions the key competencies that employees should cultivate to thrive amidst the age of automation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper synthesises recent academic and contextual papers on the topic of workplace automation, alongside the author’s practical knowledge as a Global Program Manager for Robotic Process Automation projects in an S&P 500 company.FindingsFour skill building blocks are created which will help employees stay relevant in the age of automation: process engineering, automation technology, self-leadership and humanistic.Originality/valueIn this new era of automation, the skills of today will no longer be sufficient for employees to remain competitive in future. This paper contributes to literature by envisioning and presenting four skill blocks that could serve as a blueprint for human resources officers and executives to create the future learning plans and hiring strategies of their organisations, as they grow along the automation maturity curve.

ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION OF CORRUPTION RISKS IN THE FIELD OF HEALTHCARE

The purpose of the article is to identify the most common corruption offenses in the healthcare sector and their impact on the country's economy, and also to outline the main directions of the state anti-corruption policy in this area. Methodology. The research is based on the study of international treaties ratified by Ukraine, as well as domestic legal acts regulating the activities of the medical sector in the area of combating and preventing corruption. Results. The article analyzes the main directions of anti-corruption policy in the national healthcare system and determines their impact on the economy of the country. It is noted that corruption in this area is inherent in all socio-economic systems of the world, however, it is most widespread in the process of transformation of the economic and social environment. Corruption can manifest itself in various mechanisms. The author analyzes the monitoring of corruption risks in the field of security by Transparency International, which annually determines the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), and the European Commission. It is theoretically proven that a decrease in the score of the Corruption Perceptions Index leads to an outflow of capital from the country (one point corresponds to 0.5% of the country's gross domestic product). Using the examples of the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Denmark, the paper examines the most common forms of corruption in the healthcare sector, as well as the positive experiences that should be implemented in order to improve the level of economic development of the country. The main corruption risks in the healthcare sector were analyzed. The role of the NAPC and the NABU in combating and preventing corruption in the healthcare sector is revealed. Practical implications. The article outlines the main steps that need to be taken to introduce changes in the direction of anti-corruption activities in private healthcare institutions. The role of the electronic system of public procurement of goods, works and services "ProZorro" in combating and preventing corruption in the healthcare sector is determined. The analytical data of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission are studied. Value/originality. It is theoretically substantiated that the key task of the state anti-corruption policy in the healthcare sector is to develop and implement mechanisms for detection, prevention and elimination of conditions that facilitate the emergence and spread of corruption, the impact of which on the country's economy is quite dangerous, as it significantly impairs the effectiveness of the state's economic policy. The article highlights the consequences of corruption in the healthcare sector for the country's economy: expansion of the shadow economy; violation of competitive mechanisms; inefficient use of budget funds in the distribution of public contracts and benefits; price increases due to "corruption costs"; and deterioration of the investment climate. The article outlines the main areas of anti-corruption policy in the healthcare sector, including: an effective system of control and transparency; analysis of the causes of corruption; a high level of legal awareness and culture of citizens; involvement of specialists and scientists in the areas of activity in the preparation of relevant regulatory documents; improvement of the electronic healthcare system and, consequently, further automation of workplaces; change of the financing system; improvement of the anti-corruption policy in the healthcare sector as a component of the overall anti-corruption policy; implementation of positive international experiences.

Workplace Automation and Corporate Liquidity Policy

Using an occupational probability of computerization, we measure a firm’s ability to replace labor with automated capital. Our evidence suggests that the potential to automate a workforce enhances operating flexibility, allowing firms to hold less precautionary cash. To provide evidence for this mechanism, we exploit the 2011–2012 Thailand hard drive crisis as an exogenous shock to the cost of automation. In addition, the negative relation between prospective automation and cash holdings is greater for firms with a lower expected cost of worker displacement and greater labor-induced operating leverage.

Governing the work-related risks of AI: implications for the German government and trade unions

This article discusses the risks that artificial intelligence (AI) poses for work. It classifies risks into two types, direct and indirect. Direct risks are AI-induced forms of discrimination, surveillance and information asymmetries at work. Indirect risks are enhanced workplace automation and the increasing ‘fissurisation’ of work. Direct and indirect risks are illustrated using the example of the transport and logistics sector. We discuss policy responses to both types of risk in the context of the German economy and argue that the policy solutions need to differ according to the type of risk. Direct risks can be addressed by European and national regulation against discrimination, surveillance and information asymmetries. As for indirect risks, the first step is to monitor the risks so as to gain an understanding of sector-specific transformations and establish relevant expertise and competence. This way of addressing AI-induced risks at work will help to improve the prospects of decent work, fair remuneration and adequate social protection for all.

Workplace Automation and Employee Treatment

Workplace Automation and Employee Treatment

О ВЛИЯНИИ ЦИФРОВЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ НА ПРАВОВОЕ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЕ ТРУДА И ЗАНЯТОСТИ УЯЗВИМЫХ ГРУПП РАБОТНИКОВ

Introduction: the article is devoted to the current and future impact of digital technologies, thanks to which remote work and location-based platform employment have emerged, and also the impact of artificial intelligence technologies and neurotechnologies on the labor relations that involve vulnerable groups of workers, including legal relations in the field of employment. Purpose: to describe approaches to the understanding of vulnerability in economics, sociology, and legal science, to trace the impact of digi-tal technologies on labor and employment of vulnerable groups, and to identify issues and risks. Methods:the methodological basis of the research consists of universal, general scientific methods as well as some special methods (system-structural, formal-legal, comparative legal methods). Results: vulnerability is correlated with poverty, and both monetary and non-monetary approaches to the phenomenon of po-verty are described; vulnerability is considered in the context of the concept of social exclusion, which fo-cuses on the breakdown of social ties. From a legal perspective, the approach applied in the study is based on the assumption that vulnerability of an individual or social group is associated with a higher (compared to others) risk of becoming a victim of human rights violations, including being limited in the ability to exercise the rights and freedoms guaranteed to everyone. The perceptions of vulnerability de-velop primarily in international law. At the national level, vulnerability of certain social groups is inter-branch in nature, which is manifested in exemptions and preferences established for them by both pri-vate and public branches of law. In Russian labor law, the term ‘vulnerable groups’ is not used, although, in actual fact, it forms the basis for differentiating the legal regulation of labor of certain categories of workers. The differentiation of the legal status of vulnerable groups is associated with the manifestation of the compensatory function of the welfare state. Conclusions: the use of digital technologies does not automatically bring advantages and benefits to vulnerable groups, but in the absence of adequate regu-lation can greatly increase social inequality and discrimination. It is advisable to develop the legal regula-tion of remote work performed by vulnerable groups of workers toward internal differentiation, taking into account their specific needs. Rights and guarantees, at least in the field of occupational safety and health, should be progressively extended to those employed on location-based platforms. It is necessary to include location-based workers in social insurance systems; provide them with an expanded range of rights and guarantees in the world of work. The risks of artificial intelligence, neurotechnologies, and workplace automation being introduced are currently associated with the deepening and scaling of dis-crimination, as well as with an imperceptible replacement of labor relations by precarious employment, which may affect vulnerable groups of workers the most. The paper proposes directions for improving legal regulation in this area. An assumption is made that the mass introduction of neurotechnology in the future will change the understanding of the nature of vulnerability and its criteria.