As we have learned, the nature of the workplace is changing rapidly. The rise in the use of robots and artificial intelligence has decimated the employment prospects for many employees in many industr

The Future of the Workplace and Human Resource Roles – Portfolio 2

HRM 515 – Legal and HR Dimensions of Business Management

Colorado State University-Global Campus

Dr. Kristen Waddell

June 14, 2020

The Future of the Workplace and Human Resource Roles – Portfolio 2

The Rise of Robots! Effects on Employment and Income by Özcan in 2019 is necessary for the final project study because it offers varied perspectives on the effects of robots on employment. This study concludes that robotics has more effects on unskilled and semi-skilled labor than skilled and specialized labor because it is undoubtedly skilled and specialized labor that invents and maintains robots. The study also analyses the effect of robotics on income inequality, which is an essential aspect as companies employ robots to reduce costs, so it is crucial to ask who gets all the economic relief from using robots (Özcan, 2019). Will the excess income be redistributed in the form of salary and wage increases? Or will the organization enjoy their profits without a care for the economic welfare of their human labor?

Robots, New Technology, and Industry 4.0 in Changing Workplaces. Impacts on Labor and Employment Laws by Brown in 2018 gives a scope of the prevalence and increasing presence of automation and robotics in America. Apart from the scope, this study goes more in-depth into employment laws, how advantageous technology is to Human resources (HR), and how human resources functions can in the future dislodged by technology. This study also elaborates on the changing employments laws and how slow reforms usually are in the face of rapidly evolving technologies. The paper makes a good point in elucidating the need for safety requirements during robotic use as they can inevitably result in the injury of human workers, which affects the Occupational and Safety Health Act (OSHA) (Brown, 2018).

Transforming the HR function through robotic process automation by Papageorgiou in 2018 is a paper centered on the impact of technological advancements on HR functions. However, it does not go in-depth on how robotics impact HR; it makes a great argument on HRs evolution due to technology. The study explains that artificial intelligence and robots help eliminate routine HR tasks, which is accurate as HR most times involve repetitive activities. According to Papageorgiou (2018), although robotics and artificial intelligence reduce the number of routine HR functions, there are still tasks required of HR that are non-routine and are impossible for robots to handle due to its complexity. For now, technology benefits HR and increases employment in its non-routine functions.

HR Needs to Stay Ahead of Automation by Tobenkin in 2019 is an article for The Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), which goes in-depth on HR functions and how automation will eventually rid some HR generalists jobs. The article also states some the same facts as Papageorgiou (2018) but goes into greater detail, explaining how the impact on HR functions by automation and technology. The study explains how to manage staff whose regular tasks have been eliminated by automation, the ones that remain most likely will require technological training. The study also specifies HR functions that technology and automation cannot replace; people performance whole system architecture, HR and business strategy, organizational effectiveness, change management, and employee relations.

Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation by Autor in 2015 counters some other citations here that say unskilled and semi-skilled workers will become obsolete. The paper provides solutions to these problems, one of which is for the United States to restructure the educational system in the country to account for skills that, even though are supported by technological advancements, cannot be eradicated because of the comparative advantage of specific tasks involved with the job. The paper makes another valid contribution to the project by saying that not all technology is bad and technological advancements are only disadvantageous when only a small number of people control a massive amount of wealth due to automation. The question now is who will buy the products and services if it is not affordable (Autor, 2015).

References

Autor, D. (2015). Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(3), 3.

Brown, R. (2018). Robots, New Technology, and Industry 4.0 in Changing Workplaces. Impacts on Labor and Employment Laws. American University Business Law Review, 7(3), 349.

Özcan, R. (2019). The Rise of Robots! Effects on Employment and Income. Öneri, 14(51),

1–17. https://doi.org/10.14783/maruoneri.vi.522005

Papageorgiou, D. (2018). Transforming the HR function through robotic process

automation. Benefits Quarterly, 34(2), 27-30. Retrieved from https://csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/docview/2117119039?accountid=38569

Tobenkin, D. “HR Needs to Stay Ahead of Automation.” SHRM, 26 Feb. 2019,

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/spring2019/pages/hr-needs-to-stay-ahead-of-automation.aspx.