Prepare the Troops; the Bots are Coming!

Upskilling Employees for Automation Readiness

As automation gains speed in the transformation efforts of businesses from all industries, preparing employees for the new way of working is a priority. This new way of working requires understanding automation-specific terms, processes, and technology.

Even in today’s technology-abundant world, businesses still execute business processes manually. This trend is quickly losing ground as automation is gaining speed and will soon become necessary for businesses looking to stay competitive in this technology-driven economy.

How companies approach this monumental task will make or break the transition to an automation-ready workforce. The priority should be on preparing employees with the right skills, but equally important is the emotional and mental transition needed to fully embrace the future of working in a technology-dominated environment.

Taking Stock of Employee Skills

One of the first tasks for businesses looking to launch automation initiatives is understanding the required skills to enable existing employees to operate effectively in an automation environment.

Next, the company may review existing employee profiles to confirm upskilling or reskilling needed to meet the required skills and knowledge to transition teams to perform alongside automated processes successfully.

Then, evaluate the resources and change management needed to align employees with the right learning opportunities that will enable them to upskill or reskill to take on higher-value tasks within the company.

Creating an Automation Readiness Plan

Creating an Automation Readiness Plan will enable the impacted teams to embrace the learning opportunities necessary to assume the newly defined roles within the company. The plan must include detailed guidance and instructions on accessing and completing required learning opportunities that will enable employees to easily transition into their new higher value-adding roles.

Introducing Process Champions to support automation readiness and to work with fellow teammates when support or assistance is needed in achieving the assigned upskilling or reskilling tasks adds to the potential success of automation adoption. Be sure to align technical support to address any issues or concerns the employees may encounter when completing the training courses.

Most importantly, ensure Executive Sponsors of the automation movement are present and involved in the communications to the team members impacted by the pending automation change. This level of support will go a long way in supporting and motivating employees to embrace automation and the new way of working.

Ready, Set, Launch!

With newly upskilled and reskilled employees in place, it’s time to introduce the automation change to the teams.

Assuming the company has adequately prepared the impacted employees with sufficient training, communicated newly defined roles clearly, and aligned the support needed to help employees transition to an automated work environment, the teams should be ready to launch!