Digitisation during the pandemic
From an organisational perspective, digitisation improves an organisation’s operational efficiency, helps to adapt to a changing environment for competitive advantage, improves decision-making and the experience of employees. However, digitisation can also have a negative impact on jobs, as they are reduced or eliminated in certain sectors. This leads to polarisation in the labour market: organisations that use new digital technologies have an advantage over those that do not.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, digitisation has accelerated and has contributed most significantly to the change in the administrative functions of organisations, the speed of traditional human resources processes, in particular the conduct of recruitments, the coordination and conduct of meetings with candidates remotely, or the training of staff. There is availability and variety in distance learning, timely personal learning through distance learning programmes, etc. However, the move to distance learning resulted in the loss of a related source of learning – learning from experience, i.e. the insights of group members. However, direct human contact remains important. Staff communication has also been adapted to digital reality – digital tools have increased the speed and responsiveness of information transmission and made information more accurate.
From the employee’s perspective, digital transformation has increased the influence of employees in organisations. The increase in digital tools (e.g. feedback apps, etc.) has enabled staff to play an increasingly active role in organisational decision-making. It helps employees feel more needed by the organisation, increases their job satisfaction and personal well-being.
In addition to the positive changes of the digitisation during the pandemic, there are also negative aspects. The constantly increasing demand and expectation for technology use are leading to a reduction in face-to-face contact, which is having a negative impact on social ties and reducing social inclusion. In the work context, this has led to a weakened sense of community and, at the same time, trust and motivation problems. Studies have also shown that asynchronous communication, the pressure to react immediately, e.g. to reply to a message, has been linked to stress, burnout, sleep problems and disturbances in work-life balance. It is no coincidence that the challenges posed by the pandemic have led to a trend of mass resignations. And contrary to expectations, the uncertainty has prompted workers to reassess their work and life priorities and to consider alternatives they would not have thought of before the pandemic.
How will digitisation change future processes?
There are several possible future scenarios resulting from digitisation in organisations. In the first scenario, the development of digitisation in human resources management will not be very fast. Potential barriers to this scenario include: lack of appropriate models and data, software and technology, and human resource capacity issues. The monetary and human resources and infrastructure needed to carry out these processes are also important.
The second scenario involves a further increase in the automation of the human resources management processes, robotics and an even greater role of data analytics. To retain staff, employers will focus on retraining and ensuring the well-being of employees, while in the meantime looking for ways to ensure a smooth operating process. For example, finding new ways of organising work.
Finally, there is a third scenario where organisations will optimise their operations, save on recruitment costs, embrace change, digitalise their processes, and transform their business. Possible scenarios: redundancies, reviewing job functions, delegating functions to robots.
It is difficult to say which scenario will come true, as sufficient or insufficient efforts by public authorities, educational institutions, managers and unpredictable circumstances (e.g. an economic recession) can make any scenario possible.
Can robots replace humans in the workplace?
However, the development of digitisation and artificial intelligence is inevitable. Artificial intelligence is the technology of the future and is already driving growth and market development in a wide range of activities. However, there is still a shortage of specialists in this field. Improving their digital and soft skills (e.g. continuous learning, effective communication, taking responsibility, etc.) would enable them to exploit their creative potential and improve their competitiveness in the market.
To answer the question of whether robots are likely to replace humans, it is worth looking at a study by the US technology company Oracle. When asked how robots are better than their managers, 26% of respondents said that robots are better at providing unbiased information, 34% believe that AI keeps to a schedule, and 26% believe that robots are better at managing budgets. In some areas, where routine mechanical work is carried out, robots can indeed be far superior to humans. But as futurist Gerd Leonhard says, ‘there are many things that robots cannot do and are unlikely to do in the future’. That are emotional intelligence, flexibility, creativity, cooperation and other human qualities. As long as we develop them, we will be more valuable than the most advanced technologies.
