I have always dreamt of having one of those magic wands that follow me everywhere to do all those tedious and repetitive tasks that bring nothing of value to my life.<\/p>\n
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However, despite the technological advances that have come a long way to get to where we are today, cars still cannot pilot in between the urban buildings, nor are we able to teleport ourselves to the future (as some of us believed after seeing the film, \u201cBack to the Future\u201d).<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the future seems to be headed along different lines from what we had imagined. Robotics and digitalization are opening other ways and doors that perhaps we would never have envisaged before.<\/p>\n
In this article I would like to concentrate on the impact that robotics will have on HR management.<\/p>\n
Let us start with two basic definitions of the word “robot”:<\/p>\n
– Definition 1:<\/p>\n
\u201dA reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.\u201d (Robot Institute of America, 1979<\/em>)<\/p>\n – Definition2:<\/p>\n \u201cA robot is an automatic device that performs functions normally ascribed to humans or a machine in the form of a human.\u201d Merriam-Webster Dictionary<\/em><\/p>\n This is where the debate usually begins on whether robotics will wipe out jobs. There is no denying that this can happen for certain functions, but history has shown that the creation of new technological advances also creates new jobs to the same degree. Other lines of thought could be directed towards the “surprising workforce crisis” that Rainer Strack (Senior Partner and Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group) foresees, declaring that “in 2030 we will be plunged into a global employment crisis, with labour shortages worldwide and huge skills gaps<\/em>.”<\/p>\n But for now in this article we will not explore the prediction on the immediate future of the workforce, but to just observe what is happening right now with digital changes and robotics:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look at some examples of robotics all over the world in the work environment:<\/p>\n 1. In this image a robot transports the trays of food through the passages in the Southmead Hospital, Bristol<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Nao, a programmable and autonomous humanoid robot, developed by Aldebaran Robotics, a French robotics company headquartered in Paris. The academic edition of Nao was developed by universities and laboratories for the purposes of research and education.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. In these Amazon warehouses in the US, Kiva robots bring shelves to the operators to speed up the logistics processes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4. In a new theme park in Japan, a hotel will open that will be partially attended by androids that work as reception assistants: as reception attendants, robot waiters, cleaning staff and a cloakroom attendant…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n