What robots cannot bring to your workforce
It was reported earlier this year in The Guardian that potentially 10 million British jobs would no longer exist in 15 years, due to companies integrating robots rather than employing humans. Already we are seeing growth in the number of companies having more of an automated workforce than employed staff. An example of this is in China where one organisation replaced 90% of its workforce with machines.
Companies that have been adopting this approach have seen signs of positive impacts, with an increase in productivity and minimal ‘human’ error. However, as pointed out in LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, there are some areas where robots cannot replace humans, and that is in jobs that need high levels of soft skills. Skills that can very much add quality to a workforce and its culture. Some soft skills include:
- Communication
- Creative and critical thinking
- Empathy
- Forward and long-term thinking
According to the LinkedIn report, the most important skills for employees to learn now are Leadership, Communication, collaboration and role specific skills. With automation becoming more integral to an organisation’s processes, employees need to demonstrate they can be more adaptable, more creative and have more leadership qualities to deal with the changes introduced by artificial intelligence.
What a ‘soft-skilled’ workforce can do for you
If companies encourage staff to develop these skills, then the benefits can be felt on both sides. Employees are naturally concerned to protect their job prospects but according to LinkedIn, 94% of employees will stay at the company longer if their employer invests heavily in their development. Ultimately a lower turnover of staff and a workforce that has strengths in these soft skills, your company would be able to adapt easier and quicker to the benefits of using artificial intelligence. Research was conducted by Boston College, University of Michigan and Harvard University, to identify the impact soft skills has on its workforce. The main findings were increased productivity by 12% and businesses delivered a 256% return on investments. Further enhancing that companies who have a workforce who have soft skills provide not only a loyal workforce, but a motivated and successful one also.
Regardless of which sector you’re recruiting for, RHL’s consultants invest time in getting to know talented technical candidates, identifying their competencies, career experience, education and attributes. We will also help you throughout the recruitment process to ensure we find the best suited candidate for you who will help deliver the best business results and be able to adapt to the changes within your organisation and the wider market.