How Automation Enhances the Employee Experience for Retail Workers
As automation makes its way into retail stores, thoughts have shifted to the impact this move might have on retail workers. The goal of retail automation is not to replace human workers, but to reduce the time spent on repetitive, low-value tasks.
Technology is evolving at an extremely rapid pace and digital transformation is fast becoming a necessity for any organization that plans to remain competitive. A key part of this transformation for retail businesses is automation. With 40% of retailers already engaging in some form of automation and most retail businesses looking to automate this year, it is clear that intelligent automation will be a huge part of retailers’ plans in the next decade.
As automation makes its way into retail stores, thoughts have shifted to the impact this move might have on retail workers. Research by McKinsey & Company shows that the extent to which workers in the retail sector will be affected depends on their role. The goal of retail automation is not to replace human workers, but to reduce the time spent on repetitive, low-value tasks such as scanning items and processing payment at check-out.
How Retail Workers Feel About Automation
Retail workers are the stakeholders that have the most to lose as retailers and grocers invest heavily in automation. A study conducted by the Center for Popular Democracy and United for Respect found that over a third of grocery store employees feel that their job will be replaced by machines in the near future. This is balanced by a majority of workers feeling that new job opportunities will also be created by automation. The key concern for retail workers is whether the new jobs created by technology would directly replace the jobs lost to automation.
The Benefits of Automation for Retail Workers
Despite the legitimate concerns of retail employees, automation also presents an opportunity for workers to solve challenges that they have faced in the past and improve their day-to-day working experience. It is important to understand and communicate to employees that the intention behind automation is to augment the human work experience rather than replace it. Here are three ways that automation can completely transform the employee experience for retail workers.
1. Increased Health and Safety Standards
As the pandemic continues to rage on in many parts of the world, retail businesses must find ways to ensure the continued safety of their workers. Even after the pandemic is over, customers and workers are likely to value businesses that take health and safety seriously. A McKinsey & Company survey revealed that 79% of customers will still rely on self-checkout even after the pandemic. With automation making payments and restocking completely touchless, troublesome germs and viruses are less likely to spread in store.
2. Lower Dependence on Manual Labor for Day-to-Day Operations
Prior to automation becoming affordable and easy to implement, retail workers spent a vast majority of their time on high-effort tasks such as stocking shelves and checking inventory. However, once such tasks are automated, it allows retail workers to expand their skill set to become more valuable to the store and the customer.
Employees freed from having to man a cashier counter can shift to providing shopping recommendations and assistance to customers or to making more strategic decisions that computers are unable to make autonomously. Enhancing the overall shopping experience.
3. Stay Relevant in the Age of E-Commerce
As an extension of the previous point, the new skills accrued by employees as a result of automation can be extremely attractive to increasingly demanding customers. The rise of e-commerce and the availability of ultra-fast shipping has provided a lot of convenience to shoppers worldwide.
To remain attractive to younger, digitally native customers, physical retail stores must engage their customers on a personal level. Using automation to take over time-consuming and repetitive tasks will allow employees to engage with customers more frequently and develop personal relationships with them. AiFi’s range of products can help your business improve in each of these individual areas.
How to Encourage Employee Buy-in During Automation
Even though the above can go a long way to convincing employees that automation can be mutually beneficial to all stakeholders, business leaders must still do what they can to encourage employee buy-in and participation in the automation transformation.
Here are some ways that business leaders can make automation a more attractive proposition for employees in retail settings:
- Establish a culture of communication to hear and discuss employee concerns
- Spend time articulating the benefits of automation for workers to all employees
- Provide training and reskilling opportunities for workers whose tasks have been made obsolete
Ultimately, it is important for employers and employees to adjust their mindset when thinking about automation. The benefits of automation are there for all to reap if business leaders can communicate effectively with their employees and encourage buy-in during the transformation process. Therefore, automation becomes transformative in the job sector and does not eliminate work opportunities.
