1/3 of UK workers would prefer robot boss...
Plenty of Brits reckon a robot would make smarter
decisions than a human boss
Jeff Parsons Thursday 15 Nov 2018 1:35 pm
Quite a large number of British workers reckon a robot
could make better business decisions than their own flesh-and-blood boss.
That’s according to a new report that found one in three
(34%) of employees believe a robot would be better if it had access to the
right business intelligence.
The annual survey, called the Advanced Trends Report, is
the third commissioned by British software and services company Advanced. The
company asked over 1,000 professionals in UK organisations and found that only
35% of managing directors are said to be driving technology change.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they would be
happy to work alongside robotic technology if it meant less manual processes.
In fact, the report said that 72% of these professionals
have already adopted technology to automate tasks and processes, albeit many of
these are likely using simple commands to handle defined actions.
‘Disruptive technology is encouraging us to look afresh
at all aspects of business,’ says Gordon Wilson, CEO at Advanced.
‘While robots are unlikely to take on the job of decision
maker – the reality is that they are simply not yet suited to such complex
tasks and will instead work side-by-side with humans – our findings suggest
that employees are dissatisfied with their current leadership, want to get rid
of arbitrary decision making and are starting to challenge the norms.’
‘Leaders need to step up, to provide the clear direction
that people need and take charge of the intense technology change happening as
a result of the digital era.’
The outlook of this report seems to be much more positive
than one conducted a few months back.
That one, carried out by YouGov and also surveying 1,000
Brits, suggested that a quarter of us are worried a ‘droid will nick our jobs
outright.
That research was timed to coincide with a new two-year
commission on workers’ technology that will both address the change and help
workers re-skill if necessary.
‘The digital revolution means technology and jobs are
changing faster than ever,’ said Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the home affairs
select committee, who backed the program.
‘This survey of workers found that almost a quarter of
workers are worried that their job will no longer be needed. And whilst it
found that most people are optimistic that they will be able to change and
update their skills, they also say they are not getting any help or support to
train or adapt from the government, their employer or a trade union.’
What’s the answer? We’re not entirely sure. But we’re not
going to stop sucking up to our human boss just yet…
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