According to a recent report published by Willis Towers Watson, a financial services company highlights that adoption of workplace automation is expected to double in next three years. According to a survey by Willis Towers Watson, companies in India foresee the use of automation in the workplace to increase from the current 14 percent to 27 percent in three years, higher than the global and APAC average. However, only a few companies are ready to address this organizational change.

Sambhav Rakyan, Head of Talent and Rewards, Willis Towers Watson India, was quoted in media sharing, “The fact of the matter is that the future of work is already here, whether organizations realize it or not.”

He further stated that automation and the subsequent shift in work arrangements would create new challenges that will examine employer readiness around technology, future workforce requirements, HR programs and an enabling organizational structure.

The survey also noted that opposed to the conventional outlook where automation was believed to replace humans from work to minimize costs; the study indicated that more than half of the companies think that automation will augment human capabilities and performance. It will create new jobs rather than replacing humans. However, the maximum influence of this shift due to automation will be seen on the services due to lack of specific skills. A majority 55 per cent companies in the services industry expect to have fewer full-time employees in three years' time due to automation, as compared to 14 percent currently.