Common Myths and Misconceptions About Workplace Automation
Published: 14/04/2025
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Workplace automation is essential in today’s work environment. However, it comes with many myths and misconceptions. This article aims to dispel these myths and present the actual facts instead.
What is the first thought you have upon hearing ‘workplace automation’? Despite being a common practice, many still associate it with machine labour. While this is not entirely incorrect, it pertains to the automation of background processes we often don’t even realise exist. This example alone illustrates that although it is a widespread practice, workplace automation remains a topic filled with misconceptions and myths. The reason for this is simple: the setup and approach vary for each company.
That said, some concerns arising from these false convictions translate into common fears. In this article, we will explore these concerns, analyse them, and teach you how to alleviate the worries within your organisation. After all, when executed properly, workplace automation can elevate your business to new heights.
Workplace automation involves utilising digital solutions to streamline processes across the organisation. The level of automation varies according to the company’s needs, team structure, communication style, and other factors. Additionally, there are no strict guidelines regarding which tools can be used, making it a flexible and highly individualised concept.
The most common tasks for which workplace automation is used are administrative and communicative in nature. For example, these include task handovers, calculations, and reporting. The processes that get automated and how they operate are again unique to each business, often driven by budget constraints and team size.
As stated in the beginning, common fears stem from a lack of clarity and a united approach to workplace automation. They are not complex and easily disapproved, however they are also deep-seated, therefore to truly get rid of them, you need to go straight to the roots.
The concerns of technology replacing the living workforce are far from new. Looking back at history, it’s evident that every period of technological advancement shared common anxieties accompanying it - namely, that machines will replace real people. The early industrialisation was a cause of riots, with millions of factory workers coming out to the streets to protest against the introduction of machinery in fear for their livelihoods. As we know, their fears ended up being baseless as while the machines did take over most of the manual labour and sped the process up significantly, they still needed living humans to supervise them. And while digital tools are more intuitive and advanced than factory machinery, the principle is exactly the same. For them to run smoothly and bring efficiency, living workers are necessary.
Feel free to use this example to alleviate any anxieties regarding workplace automation your employees may have. Or come up with your own. As long as you find a way to assure your employees their position is under no threat, you will be fine. A failure to do so may result in a stronger pushback and downright rejection of digital tools, which may bear consequences of financial losses and reduced efficiency.
Alongside the rise of technological advancement, the frequency and quality of scams have grown, too. Data is a commodity that opens many doors, and thus, it is little to no surprise that scammers target it. Given that digital solutions collect and store data, workplace automation is often seen as a factor increasing the risk of a data breach. However, modern solutions can add a layer of protection and are consistently updated with the newest security measures.
Being troves of data, SaaS solutions include complicated encryptions and offshore data centres. The vendors won’t have access to your data, significantly decreasing the chance of it being accessed by anyone but your organisation. Additionally, most solutions have now implemented mandatory 2-factor authorisation and other security measures to protect their clients’ data even when their login information has been compromised. All in all, the chance of data breach is lower than you think - and software providers are willing to prove that when asked.
Fears are more harmful than myths, but if left to fester, they eventually evolve into the former. With workplace automation being a widely spread topic, it’s natural for some myths to emerge. Most of them started as genuine issues but have since been resolved. However, due to rapid changes in the digital landscape, not everyone is aware of that.
There was indeed a time when automation was only accessible to companies with huge budgets and was perceived as a luxury. However, those times are now gone. Not only can start-ups with one employee adopt workplace automation tools, but they are highly encouraged to. Both will reap benefits from passing on a range of tasks to machines, although, depending on the company size, it will look different. In smaller companies, the key benefit will be more balanced work distribution, leading to improved speed and efficiency.
The belief workplace automation is exclusive to large companies stems from assuming they deal with bigger volumes of data and tasks and, therefore, need more manpower to tackle it. And automation is a cheaper and more efficient solution than increasing the headcount. This is not wrong, but as stated above, this is just a different kind of benefit. Ultimately, there is no size requirement when it comes to adopting workplace automation. Especially because it’s a flexible concept, and you decide how much of your processes you want to automate and to what extent. It adapts to your needs, size and setup - not the other way around.
While some investment into solutions is expected, it doesn’t have to drain your budget. The market for digital tools is huge and continues expanding, meaning there are options that are fit for everyone. Usually, the cost of a solution depends on its features and how much ground they cover. Most vendors base their pricing on pre-set packages of modules, how many people can use them, and so on.
There are free options, too. However, they will be significantly more limiting and are usually only fit as a quick temporary fix. At Timesheet Portal, we seek to make our platform available to everyone, so we charge per module and number of users. That said, your monthly subscription will consist exclusively of the features you use and can be adjusted to your needs directly from the web browser.
Circling back to the oldest technology-related fear of it eventually pushing humans out of the equation, we have some good news. You can be part of dismissing this centuries-old misconception, even if you only do it within your company. Mindset changes overtime, with small steps eventually snowballing.
With the rise of AI and the murky waters in regard to its regulation, more and more people are growing opposed to workplace automation. However, while some solutions do utilise AI in their automation, the automation itself is not synonymous with artificial intelligence. Make it a priority to ensure everyone in your company knows this distinction.
With how fast the world of digitisation is progressing, it’s hard to stay up to date unless you’re constantly working with it. That said, it’s perfectly normal for some people to have outdated views and beliefs when it comes to automation - most of them were true fairly recently, and global digitisation wasn’t advancing as rapidly back then. The best way to dispel these misconceptions and alleviate the discomfort that comes with them is to point out the benefits workplace automation will bring to employees. Close in on inconveniences and challenges your workers face in their day-to-day processes and explore how the proposed automation solutions address them. Then, relay your findings to the workers. If you approach workplace automation from the standpoint of a global benefit, it’s likely to face more opposition. Proving its benefits to individuals, however, is bound to bring a more favourable response.
Despite being an essential part of the modern workplace, automation remains a source of myths and misconceptions. This concept is not new; even in the early days of industrialisation, people feared that adopting technology would threaten their livelihoods. However, just as it was then, automation actually reduces their workload. A more contemporary fear involves data safety, as most solutions collect and store data. Yet, this concern is also unfounded because creators of digital tools are steadfast in enforcing security measures.
The pace of modern technology’s development has been incredibly fast in recent years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. This makes it challenging for people to keep up. While many core beliefs regarding technology are no longer true, the main misconceptions to address are that workplace automation is only beneficial for large organisations and that it represents a costly luxury. With the abundance of solutions available, companies of any size can find tools tailored specifically to them, fitting any budget. That said, avoid trying to change those beliefs through forceful or unsolicited methods; instead, concentrate on communicating their benefits.
Struggling to tell what’s a myth and what’s a fact? Let us help.