The growing role of machines alongside humans has always been a point of discussion in our constantly evolving workforce, so where does automation come in?

Automation can be defined as the process of carrying out tasks through the use of technology, with minimal human supervision. As a result, it can improve overall safety and reduce the margin of human error, leading to an increase in productivity. In fact, an article by Harvard Business Review cites academic research on automation estimating that 47 percent of occupations in the United States could be automated within 20 years. Now that technology is advancing even more rapidly than ever, how can the process of automation help you in your career?

1. It can lead to further job opportunities

Sharon Hunneybell explored how process automation can lead to the creation of new jobs, opening up future roles for automation analysts, integration architects, and data quality analysts. If you’re a part of this field and you’re interested in working with the latest and greatest in technology, it’s a good idea to start figuring out how you can stay ahead of the crowd. In order to make manual and repetitive tasks a thing of the past, try figuring out how automating processes can integrate with your current business practices. Automating your workload can help you free up time to onboard staff with efficiency.

2. It can help source talent

If you’re part of a HR department, automation can help you search for talented staff much more quickly and onboard them with more efficiency. Case in point, Marcus points out that AI can help find in-house talent, which UnitedHealth Group currently uses through an algorithm that can identify leadership qualities among its pool of employees. This information can also be used to identify and nurture early-career employees for leadership roles. Not only will this save time, but it also ensures that your top-performing candidates are adequately recognized. During the onboarding process, automation can also benefit you through the creation of custom onboarding packages such as online forms, key checklists, and welcome e-mails for new hires. This ensures that they’re aware of any important security measures at work and that they’re ready to hit the ground running.

3. It can improve security and operations

IT teams and security operations are vital aspects of any business. Among their most time-consuming tasks involve operations and maintenance. However, an article on IT processes on EnterpriseTalk states that “IT professionals themselves believe that almost 20 percent of their current daily tasks could be automated by AI.” For instance, conditional access can be granted to certain employees so that security screening can be innovated, as well as software installation, batch processing, and server monitoring. Start exploring how robotics process automation (RPA) will work in your organization by downloading the Opmantek Virtual Machine today and activating your free license for up to 20 devices. If you would prefer to have an engineer walk you through the software, you can also request a demo.

Evidently, automation provides countless benefits for the day-to-day aspects of almost every role in your team. You can maximize profits, keep operational costs down, and free up time for your highly-skilled employees to perform more challenging tasks or shift into other roles. Now it’s time to take that step forward and explore how automation can best be integrated into your business practices.