Employee satisfaction increases as a result of automation in the workplace | ZDNet

There are 12 technology trends to act as force multipliers of digital business and innovation over the next three to five years according to Gartner. The 12 technology trends are:

1. Data Fabric
2. Cybersecurity Mesh
3. Privacy-enhancing Computation
4. Cloud-Native Platforms
5. Composable Applications
6. Decision Intelligence
7. Hyperautomation
8. AI Engineering
9. Distributed Enterprises
10. Total Experience
11. Autonomic Systems
12. Generative AI

Gartner defines Hyperautomation as a “disciplined, business-driven approach to rapidly identify, vet and automate as many business and IT processes as possible. Hyperautomation enables scalability, remote operation and business model disruption.” Gartner notes that Hyperautomation involves the orchestrated use of multiple technologies, tools or platforms, including:

• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Machine learning
• Event-driven software architecture
• Robotic process automation (RPA)
• Business process management (BPM) and intelligent business process management suites (iBPMS)
• Integration platform as a service (iPaaS)
• Low-code/no-code tools
• Packaged software
• Other types of decision, process and task automation tools

The top technology trends that will shape the coming decade, per McKinsey includes the following: 

1. Process automation and virtualization
2. The future of connectivity
3. Distributed infrastructure 
4. Next generation computing
5. Applied artificial intelligence (AI)
6. Future of programming
7. Trusted architecture
8. Bio revolution
9. Next generation materials
10. Future of clean tech trends

With respect to the first tech trend, process automation and virtualization, McKinsey notes: “Around half of all existing work activities could be automated in the next few decades, as next-level process automation and virtualization become more commonplace.

“By 2025, more than 50 billion devices will be connected to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” McKinsey predicts. Robots, automation, 3D-printing, and more will generate around 79.4 zettabytes of data per year.

Both Gartner and McKinsey point to massive adoption of automation in business as a major strategic trend in the next decade. Automation will accelerate decentralization and digital transformation.

The pace of digital change in business shows no sign of slowing in 2022. The latest research from MuleSoft identifies 7 key digital transformation trends that will shape the future of work in 2022 and beyond. The top 7 trends shaping digital transformation in 2022 are: 

1. The future of work will be built on connected, hybrid experiences.
2. The composable business matures. 
3. The rise of the business technologist. 
4. Hyperautomation unlocks digital value. 
5. Security‑by‑default is a must‑have. 
6. The rise of hybrid, distributed ecosystems adds complexity.  
7. A single source of truth becomes key to the data‑driven business.  

According to MuleSoft, automation will be a fundamental driving force for the modern digital enterprise rather than being used in piecemeal projects. Hyperautomation is about scaling automation across the enterprise via the reuse of processes and the deployment of multiple, integrated technology capabilities — such as low‑code platforms, machine learning, and robotic process automation (RPA). It’s a market the analyst predicts will grow by nearly 24% from 2020 to be worth nearly $600 billion by 2022 — as organizations look to identify and automate as many processes as they can rapidly. 

Per Deloitte, 93% of business leaders expect to be using RPAs by 2023. 2021 research shows that automation will accelerate the decentralization of businesses with a digital-first investment and new capabilities strategy. Customer service is an example line of business that will see significant hyperautomation. Service organizations are adopting hyperautomation. One area of service automation that’s getting a lot of attention is chatbots. Currently, 83% of customers expect to engage with someone immediately when contacting a company — up from 78% in 2019. This dynamic puts pressure on already-strained teams. Unsurprisingly, we’ve concurrently seen chatbot adoption grow at a rapid pace. 

The latest survey from Salesforce revealed that automation solutions increase productivity and better manage employee stress levels. The survey identified four key ways workplace automation has actually improved employee experiences, both personally and professionally. The Salesforce survey, fielded in October 2021 among 773 automation users in the United States, found that 89% are more satisfied with their job and 84% are more satisfied with their company as a result of using automation in the workplace. In addition, 91% of full-time workers say automation save them time and offer better work/life balance.

Here are the 4 key themes of the automation survey: 

1. Automation fuels productivity and team collaboration: 90% of IT users claim automation has made them much more satisfied with collaboration across departments. 
2. Automating tasks saves time while reducing error: 81% of automation users today do not worry that automation will replace their job. The survey further challenged skeptics by showing that 88% of users now trust automation solutions to complete tasks without error.  92% of users are more satisfied with productivity and 85% of users are more satisfied with collaboration across their teams. Forty-seven percent of users say automation solutions mean fewer menial tasks in their day-to-day work. 
3. Time saved with automation leaves room for employees to take on new projects and advance their career: Survey found that 83% of users say automation solutions have  provided them with the time to take on new, challenging projects. Additionally, 83% of users say automation solutions have provided them with the time to learn new skills. Survey also noted that 77% of users say automation solutions have provided them with more time to deepen relationships with customers and stakeholders. All of these trends point to an improved career trajectory based on better and faster outcomes and the ability to co-create value. 
4. Automation solutions lower stress, increase balance – the survey notes that there was a plus 25% increase in positive views of automation before versus after using automation tools. As a result of automation solutions, 89% of users are more satisfied with their day to day job, 84% of users are more satisfied with their company overall and 76% of users are more satisfied with their stress levels. Finally, 91% of users believe automation solutions save them time and offer better work/life balance.

Adoption of automation throughout business is being driven from both outside and inside of IT. We are seeing incredible adoption of low-code or no-code automation across all industries. By the end of 2025, Gartner predicts that half of all new low-code clients will come from non-IT business buyers, as citizen developers on those teams shoulder more of their own projects, decreasing the burden on IT. 

Whether through low-code technology or workflow automation, the secret to digital transformation is efficiently delegating work and increasing the automation output of all organizations. Business teams must be empowered to transform their own processes, automating simple, repetitive tasks — and in so doing, powering successful experiences, both virtually and in-person, across ever-expanding touchpoints. The companies that will succeed and win in a digital-first economy are business that are fully committed in advancing their automation capabilities across all lines-of-business.