Will automation make work less meaningful? Here is what the experts say

As robotics and technology continue to advance at a rapid clip, automation has become an increasingly common element of the modern worker’s day. Tasks like bookkeeping and timesheets are already being performed entirely by machines at many companies, and things are only going to ramp up from here.

The notion of machines taking care of the more routine and structured aspects of a workday doesn’t sound all that bad at first. After all, if an AI system can keep track of completed deliverables or scheduled appointments, that frees up more time for human employees to focus on abstract, social, and creative endeavors. 

It isn’t all that outlandish to say that many people would probably find greater meaning in their job if they didn’t have to worry about so much paperwork. A common complaint about the 9-5 workday lifestyle is that many feel bogged down by the menial tasks that come along with their job description. 

Of course, no two people are the same, and what appeals to one person about a particular job may repulse someone else. With all this in mind, Finnish researchers from Åbo Akademi University set out to investigate if more workplace automation will indeed lead to greater job enjoyment and or a more meaningful work experience among all employees. 

Surprisingly, they discovered that some employees will actually miss all those mundane, routine tasks. Certain individuals will see their job as less meaningful and enjoyable in the absence of such assignments. 

Ultimately, how one feels about the future of work comes down to personal preference. If you’re the type of person who hates getting hung up on tiny details, and prefer focusing on the bigger picture or promising new ideas, less time spent on routine tasks will sound great. However, tons of other people take comfort in the routines of their lives, and work is a big part of that. Not everyone wants to get creative at work, some just want to do their job well and then go home. It’s all about what you consider meaningful.

“Our values guide many of the selections we make during our lives, including career or occupational choices and the type of competencies we value. That’s why it is important to understand how the changes brought to work by novel technologies affect future work and if work will correspond to what we today view as meaningful”, says Johnny Långstedt, a doctoral student in Comparative Religion and a project researcher in Industrial Management at Åbo Akademi University.

It isn’t fair to say one approach to work is superior to the other, we’re simply talking about two different personality types. A blend of preferred creativity and structure among an employee group has helped countless companies achieve success in the past. Moving forward, however, the inclusion of automated technologies is complicating things a bit.

“Up to date, we have mostly talked about how nice it is that routine work is being reduced. But what about those who enjoy such work? This is the first study aimed at understanding the ways our values are linked to the work we are expected to carry out in the future”, Långstedt concludes.

When we talk about robots and AI in the workplace, discussions usually turn pretty quickly toward the notion of all human employees being replaced by robots. We’re still quite far off from that, but this study just goes to show that this topic carries far more shades of gray than most assume.

The full study can be found here, published in Labour & Industry.