Business Trends: Factories Go Automated

Are you aware of how automated business has become? Read here to see how automation and outsourcing of labor is changing America.

"The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment." -- Warren G. Bennis, University of Southern California Professor of Business Administration.
Bennis's vision strikes terror in most people. "What will happen to our jobs?" is the first question that pops to your mind. Then you start imagining yourself unemployed and homeless, begging for scraps on the sidewalk curb, stuck in a torrential downpour of misery.
Wake up! Automation and outsourcing of labor is already here, and has been for a while. However, the majority of people are only realizing it now. The trend of automation is swelling fast in everything from Time and Attendance software to industrial robots assembling vehicle underbodies, to surgical robots that perform surgery at a vastly higher level of accuracy than human physicians do.
Outsourcing certain jobs like customer service has become the norm for most big businesses in the states. Much work that requires only a computer and a phone can be conducted easily in India, and for much less money. That's why so many companies are jumping on the outsourcing bandwagon. It is cheap and simple to set up. Plus, the quality of work is oftentimes higher than what the typical American college graduate can provide. Ask your assistant in India to provide a research report on the top one hundred beautiful women in Hollywood, and the next morning don't be surprised to receive a full Excel report with graphs and pie charts. How can our American kids compete with that? Assistants in India offer graphic design service, specialize in research, set up appointments, and can even send a card and flowers to your wife.
Outsourcing work to other countries has always been a controversial issue. People naturally fear mass unemployment, and feel resentful that someone located in another country could be preferred. However, many economists insist that outsourcing labor will not hurt unemployment rates in the USA. They point to outsourcing as an opportunity for Americans to pursue work requiring higher-level skills for higher pay.
Remember the iceman? You probably don't. I've never seen him either. That's because nobody needs his job anymore. The iceman brought your grandmother her ice before refrigerators existed. The fact is, jobs change and become obsolete as technology becomes more advanced. Adapt, or your out of work.
If the thought of automation of business makes your blood go cold, consider all the conveniences of the modern office: the automatic coffee maker, the automatic printing and copying machines. You don't mind them so much now, do you? Most people would agree that a degree of automation in the workplace leads to better efficiency and saves time for both the employer and employee. For example, Time and Attendance software systems are replacing the mechanical clock and paper systems as an improved way for keeping track of where employees are. Time and Attendance software helps the employer see, at a glance, the location of every employee. Employers are fond of this control and feel the new systems lend to less employee slack off problems.
Wherever your feelings stand on the automation and outsourcing of American labor, the bottom line is that it is happening. Train yourself now to be adaptable. In this case, instead of survival of the fittest, I recommend survival of the flexible.