HR - Automation Chewing Up The Corporate Ladder

After decades of watching blue-collar jobs disappear as automation replaces humans with machines, researchers warn that these aren't the only jobs at risk of forced metamorphosis or extinction.  Many service and white collar gigs are already being pushed aside, not only by machines, but also by apps.

A recent study by McKinsey & Co. research says as many as 45 percent of work activities could be automated using existing technology.  ATMs replaced bank tellers and apps issue airline tickets.  But even higher-paying gigs current held by financial planners, physicians, and senior executives might be automated:  "For example, we estimate that activities consuming more than 20 percent of a CEO's working time could be automated using current technologies," states the McKinsey report, "These include analyzing reports and data to inform operational decisions, preparing staff assignments and reviewing status reports."

International consultant KPMG says companies are investing in artificial intelligence, or cognitive computing, which McKinsey says could impact 100 Million "knowledge" workers by the year 2025.  But many warn that the human touch will be needed to mitigate or interpret the cold, hard mechanization of apps.

"For example, advanced analytics tools can do a phenomenal job of ingesting and analyzing vast amounts of information and identifying relationships in the data," says Sheri Feinzig, director of strategy for IBM’s Smarter Workforce Institute. "The reality is, though, that not all of those relationships will be meaningful, actionable or causative in nature. By surfacing these observed relationships quickly and efficiently, the human decision-maker is then able to discern what makes sense, what is useful and what can be acted upon. You still need the human as part of the decision-making process."

Others warn not to allow technology to compromise your company's culture.

"Automating tasks from a business perspective makes things more efficient," says Sybll Romley of the Society for Human Resource Management.  "But we have to make sure we’re not making things efficient at the expense of the customer experience."