According to research, 62% of executives stated that they needed to retrain or replace more than one-quarter of their workforce within the next 5 years because of automation and advanced robotics.
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Overall, it’s becoming imperative for companies across a multitude of industries and fields, such as mechanical engineering or chemical engineering, to retrain their employees to work with robots. And if you’re interested in doing so, here are three things that you’ll want to do and keep in mind.
Know What Different Types of Robots Exist and What They Do
Robots come in all shapes and sizes and are built for a variety of functions and purposes. And as a learning and development (L&D) professional, it’s important to know the basics behind the different types of robots your employees will be working with, what they do, and how they’re programmed or how they’ll be utilized every day.
Here are the six main types of robots that are most commonly used in the workplace:
- Articulated
- Cartesian
- Cylindrical
- Polar
- SCARA
- Delta
There are also wheeled robots, humanoid robots, multifooted robots, and flying robots, which are all usually less common in the workplace (currently). And there are robots that are referred to as industrial robots, professional service robots, mobile robots, and collaborative robots.
Safety Should Always Be Top of Mind for Employees Working with Robots
According to industry research, most workplace injuries and accidents that occur where a robot is involved happen when an employee is carrying out maintenance of a robot or is programming or adjusting a robot.
So, L&D professionals, at minimum, should develop safety and compliance policies and guidelines for operating and maintaining robots so that employees don’t get injured while they’re on the job. And employees should always be hyper aware of all hazards, dangers, safety barriers, etc., when working with robots.
Upskilling Employees Who Work with Robots Should Be a Priority
Contrary to popular belief, robots are requiring employees to have new skills and a different set of skills but are not replacing them in the workforce—not by a long shot. In fact, research indicates that robots in the workplace “could create double the jobs they destroy.”
According to one expert who led initiatives to retrain her staff in how to use robots, the company yielded a 20% to 30% improvement in retaining its workers. So, be prepared to upskill your current employees and new employees, even if they already work somewhat closely with robots.
Bottom line: Companies of all shapes and sizes, and in various industries, will need to retrain their employees in how to use and handle robots and in automation over the next few years if they want to remain competitive because a lot of jobs will exist for those workers that robots are “replacing,” but the workers won’t have the requisite skills for them yet.