Introduction
The modern world is characterized by different levels of economic development and various places of these countries in the technological revolution. The impact of innovation on the labor market is frequently viewed through the perspective of creating or destroying jobs. At the same time, technology and digitalization also positively influence the labor market and lead to an increase in inefficiency. This occurs through the reduction of human capital for jobs that are now performed by computers or algorithms. Meanwhile, increased performance will decrease companies’ expenses and expand production, thereby creating new jobs.
In addition, the innovation and automation of processes in the future will create new types of workplaces for many businesses that do not exist today; for example, online retailing is already widespread today. This is especially true in high-income countries and the emergence of a new class of supply chain merchants without the need for inventory or warehousing. However, many believe that technology harms the workplace and employment. Therefore, it is essential to prove that new technological solutions increase worker performance and facilitate the execution of their duties.
Background
Across all of history, technology has continually changed the way workers in all sectors do their jobs. From the industrial era to the present day, technology has improved the work environment (Schmid & Dowling, 2022). Its effect on the labor field has streamlined tedious and environmentally wasteful processes, accelerated access to work with exponential increases in productivity, and made working from anywhere easier than ever.
New job creation is also expected in industries dominated mainly by skills that are difficult to automate, such as social and language ability. Some examples are health care and social services (about 21% of existing positions are at risk of automation) and education (8%). The low risk of automation in education is because in the structure of skills used in this area, social is 148% higher than the average for all industries, and language competence proficiency is 202% higher (Hacker, 2017). Moreover, according to McKinsey, one of the catalysts for innovation has a multiplier effect on job creation: 2.4-2.6 new jobs can be obtained for every job that disappears. For example, in the U.S. for 15 years, under the impact of the Web economy, instead of eliminating half a million jobs, 1.2 million new ones were created (Hacker, 2017). The introduction of new technologies is also accompanied by an increase in demand for medium- and high-skilled IT professions, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning specialists, financial technology engineers, and others.
The Less Important Causes or Effects
It is significant to mention that innovative technology in the workplace has been critical for employees, especially millennials and generation Z. For example, Schmid & Dowling (2022, p. 60) states that “half of American Millennials (42%) say they’d likely quit a job if workplace tech didn’t meet their standards”. Consequently, the younger generation uses all available techniques in their daily lives, such that they understand their benefits for performing missions quickly and efficiently. Accordingly, they do not want to do most of the tasks that can be automated (Hacker, 2017). Such a workforce wants to accomplish essential activities and apply various technologies to find information and transfer it quickly. This willingness of employees to adopt technology has a beneficial effect on the operation of businesses.
However, most individuals need to develop at work and succeed in their careers by offering individualized solutions. It is interestingly observed that “current and future technologies provide individualized solutions and applications, and therefore the opportunity to address individual needs and motivation in the workplace” (Schmid & Dowling, 2022, p. 80). That is, the workers will be motivated if they can communicate directly through the application of the Internet with management and discuss new ideas. In turn, managers will respond to them, encouraging staff to work intensively. Accordingly, this contributes to employees feeling comfortable in the workplace and understanding that leadership appreciates them.
The Major Reasons or Outcomes
Technology encourages team coordination in which each employee has a precisely assigned role. With online communication tools, technology permits the team in some ways to function more closely, even when they are operating remotely (Schmid & Dowling, 2022). Therefore, technology in the case of special needs, such as a pandemic, can enable a firm to perform remotely. Collaborative work becomes more straightforward, even when colleagues are not physically in the same place. It is significant to highlight that “teams can hold remote meetings using video conferencing technology and simultaneously work on the same shared documents using cloud-based file sharing tools such as Google Drive” (Hacker, 2017, p.34).
Moreover, an important reason to use technological advances in the enterprise is to provide workers with online education. They can participate in training located not only in the U.S. but also in other states through platforms such as Skype and Viber. In this way, business leaders will stimulate employees to gain new and valuable knowledge, even in the workplace or from home.
Consequently, this will assist ensure constant training of employees, which will contribute to the productivity and efficiency of their performance. At the same time, workers will understand that management promotes qualifications and appreciates their performance, which will have a motivational influence on them. Businesses can also use workplace management instruments like Basecamp to track their team’s progress on specific projects. Hacker (2017) argues that successful employers also employ customer engagement tools, such as Salesforce, to monitor conversations with potential clients and sales funnels in one place. Hence, the use of technology will not only improve employee productivity and motivation but will also increase proficiency and customer interaction.
Opposing Arguments and Rebuttal
Although increasingly streamlined and automated due to technology, its effect on the work environment has also created some problems. At any moment, an employee may receive an email, a cell phone call, or an email through a social media account. Thus, many workers cannot work to their full potential at their jobs and are constantly distracted from their duties due to external factors. Wehner, et al. (2017, p. 126) mention that “this negative fact was noted by about 20% of respondents.” The free access to the Internet has resulted in staff devoting about half of their work time to visiting undesirable websites. This is why their productivity drops, projects are not delivered on time, and companies suffer financial losses.
Meanwhile, the staff is concerned about surveillance and privacy issues from their employers. They believe that the use of technology in the workplace allows managers to access and control their personal information. Wehner, et al. (2017) examined this issue and found that most employees are worried that their data will become public records; consequently, they are discouraged from adopting new technology. Although firms sign employment contracts with staff, that guarantees that personal data will not be disclosed. In this way, workers can be assured that they are provided with complete confidentiality. Nevertheless, the staff can appeal to the court to restore their rights in case of such problems. To mitigate the negative impact of social media and other external factors, employers can install the appropriate programs to work on the computers of a workforce (Wehner, et al. 2017). It is also possible to block access to certain websites that are detrimental to corporate productivity. It is also essential to have direct communication between management and subordinates on this issue. This way, employees will only use the latest technology for efficiency at their job.
Conclusion
Hence, successful organizations need to embrace new technology to ensure that progressive, high-skilled employees stay engaged. At the same time, the benefits of adopting technology in the workplace include faster information sharing and the ability for managers to conduct online meetings with staff. They can also install special programs that automate personnel work and encourage them to complete necessary goals. Moreover, technology enables Americans to function from home rather than in the office, which is crucial during epidemics and other disasters. It should be noted that online training ensures that workers are constantly upgrading their abilities, which encourages performance at work. Even though there are certain disadvantages in applying the Internet, successful managers can eliminate them. Therefore, new technological solutions in the workplace help increase workers’ performance and the success of enterprises.
References
Hacker, S. (2017). Pleasure, power and technology: Some tales of gender, engineering, and the cooperative workplace. Routledge.
Schmid, Y., & Dowling, M. (2022). New work: New motivation? A comprehensive literature review on the impact of workplace technologies. Management Review Quarterly, 72, 59-86.
Wehner, B., Ritter, C., & Leist, S. (2017). Enterprise social networks: A literature review and research agenda. Computer Networks, 114, 125-142.