How to Address the Cultural Implications of Robotic Automation

By Peter Blair, VP of Marketing

It’s exciting to consider the throughput and productivity gains that robotic automation can deliver, but don’t forget to include employees in automation planning. Sharing plans and soliciting feedback from workers can help offset feelings of fear and resistance.

The retail industry is enjoying rising store sales and record eCommerce order volumes. This economic reality impacts many businesses including retailers and grocers, as well as logistics providers and package carriers. At the same time, these industries are hampered by supply chain problems and labor shortages. Robotic automation can help businesses maximize opportunities and mitigate challenges. But there’s one element of robotic automation that shouldn’t be underestimated: the human factor. 

As technologists, we tend to focus on the mechanical elements of automation. Our robotics solutions are engineered to bring efficiency to overtaxed fulfillment environments with minimal disruption. They can be easily integrated with existing systems, and they scale modularly so companies can add capacity to fulfillment centers as needed. They fit into existing sites and eliminate bottlenecks by streamlining high-touch processes with intelligent automation.  

In the big picture, though, the cultural implications of robotic automation are just as important as what the technology can do. If employees aren’t on board with automation initiatives, the likelihood of failure goes up significantly. Here are five tips that can help businesses succeed with automation initiatives. 

For many businesses with warehouses and distribution centers, the biggest problem they face today is retaining labor. These companies aren’t trying to cut jobs — they’re desperate to fill them. Automation is meant to augment the labor they have, not replace it.  

It’s a misconception that automation always leads to widespread job elimination. But if you’re only talking about your robotic automation projects behind closed doors, you’ll be breeding rumors and distrust. Talk to stakeholders at all levels about how technology can improve the way things are done. Yes, job roles may change as automation grows. With the right planning, they’ll change for the better. 

Consider robotic automation which can take the load off the most labor-intensive parts of eCommerce fulfillment, store replenishment and allocation order processing. These tasks tend to be repetitive and not all that interesting for most workers. You may be surprised at how positively your staff responds to new automation approaches when they are part of the implementation processes.