How does automation affect employment?
Automation is a powerful force that is reshaping the modern world. Guardian Booth is on the frontlines helping you to be part of this force. History shows that technical and mechanical changes always bring great disturbances to society and the way the market works. The Industrial Revolution that swept America between 1760 – 1840 brought unprecedented levels of production in domestic manufacturing and commercial agriculture. The changes that are coming with the growing automation in the 2020 workplace will most likely be even more dramatic than those in the past. Look to Guardian Booth for the portable booth, guard shack, ticket stand, cashier booth, large booth, and vestibules for restaurants that help you flow with these changes.
In the last 15 years, 2% of people in the US have lost their jobs due to automation. Here’s another way of looking at the figures: In the last 15 years, about 6 million people have lost their jobs. If you’re wondering how these affect you, know that one-fourth of jobs in the US are in danger of automation. Does that mean vacated ticket booths and guard shacks? Not necessarily.
Remember the elevator operator? This is one of the jobs lost to automation since 1980. When elevators were first invented, they couldn’t stop on the exact level people wanted. Elevator operators manually controlled when to stop the elevators. They also opened and locked the doors. Today, we just press the button and the elevator speeds to the designated floor. Where does that leave elevator operators and the people who work in ticket booths? The answer isn’t that clear cut and it may surprise you.
Researchers don’t agree on how automation will affect long-term employment. Some predict that the rate of unemployment will rise, while others think the new technologies will bring new business opportunities and create jobs that didn’t exist before. Including jobs for people who work in ticket booths. In support of this theory, researchers claim that one-third of new jobs are for employment that didn’t exist 30 years ago. Don’t be sure that you’ll find a parking booth for sale so easily. Don’t be sure that guard house construction is passee.
Automation and parking attendant, ticket booths, and security guards
Parking lot attendants
There are currently over 146,000 people working on this job. Parking lot attendants spend their days in portable booths helping to ensure that traffic flows in and out of the parking lot smoothly. Their tasks include issuing ticket stubs or placing numbered tags on windshields, logging tags or attaching tags to customer’s keys, and giving customers matching tags for locating parked vehicles. According to surveys, parking lot attendants, also known as valet parkers and front service attendants, will definitely be replaced by robots.
Parking lot attendants sometimes leave their portable booths to park and retrieve automobiles for customers in parking lots and storage garages. Could robots leave the valet booth to do these tasks?
Ticket booths attendants
Currently, there are over 3,541,000 ticket booth attendants. You can thank these attendants for reaching out of the ticket booth window to sell tickets and issue receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers. Ticket office dimensions aren’t the only thing that may change. Surveys predict that the job itself will also be automated. What will it mean for us as a society to lose this personal touch as more ticket booths are closed?
Security Guards
Guards are often found in a security guard house or control security booth at the entrance to banks, museums, hospitals, office buildings, and malls. Security guards are often required to leave the guard shack and make rounds of their area. Remember Knightscope K5, a security robot that accidentally tumbled down some stairs into a decorative fountain while on patrol in 2017? K5 demonstrates that automation isn’t a perfect solution for security and that the need for human guards persists. Guard house buildings will continue to dot our scenery. And when it comes to efficiency, a modular guard shack, constructed off-site, may be the best answer. And the most cost-effective.
Benefits of automation
Automation is strengthening our economy and bringing along welcome wealth to large segments of the population. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits.
Profitability
One of the major advantages of automation is that it reduces the number of employees and work hours needed to provide a service. Companies reduce the amount of time needed for manual labor and lower costs by automating time-consuming tasks.
Efficiency
Once time-consuming, repetitive tasks are eliminated, employees have time for more important work. This leads to added efficiency.
Reliability
Manual processing is prone to error. Automating tasks that typically require significant manual input eliminates the probability of human error. With automation, businesses can expect precise and consistent outputs. Computers, machines, and robots simply work more accurately. Bad-hair days are a thing of the past.
Increased safety
Automation lowers the risks associated with many dangerous jobs, such as lifting heavy weights and working with dangerous chemicals. When dangerous tasks are automated, the incidence of workplace injuries are lowered.
Higher Education
As employees leave behind manual labor, they will need to develop critical thinking and planning skills and move into computing and design positions. The office booth is here to stay.
Disadvantages of automation
Initial Investment
The switch to automation is costly. Often, the initial cost to implement and maintain the automated systems may exceed the manual costs of operation. Keep in mind that there may be costs related to maintenance, repair, supervision and training.
Incompatible with Customization
Automation means a loss of versatility or flexibility. Automation works by repeating the same process over and over again. This means introducing standardization. One-of-a-kind and custom-made become a thing of the past once automation is introduced.Not so at Guardian Booth where our prefabricated booths are designed to meet your needs
Unemployment
Automation means that some people lose their jobs. In the last 15 years, the number of robots doing human jobs in various industries has increased by 14% annually. Workers at junior positions are facing the biggest threat of automation. On the flip side, employees can move into positions that help maintain the system. You may have driverless taxis, but someone needs to design the car.
Pros and cons of human interaction
Given that automation is on the rise, researchers are interested in studying the pros and cons of human interaction. Let’s look at some of the results.
Pros of human interaction
- May promote longevity and increased vitality
- Reduces the risk of heart disease, hypertension, perhaps some cancers, and even infectious diseases.
- Lightens your mood and makes you feel happier.
- Lowers the risk of dementia.
- Promotes a sense of safety, belonging and security.
What does that mean to you? The next time you linger in the entry vestibule of a store or walk through a restaurant’s portable smoking shelters, take the time to share a smile.
Cons of human interaction
- Interpersonal conflict can arise when you share your space with someone.
- Interaction that isn’t positive can leave you feeling vulnerable.
Conclusion
Statistics show that most people are willing to use technology to further their performance and to keep up to speed with the latest trends. Since 1930, automation has increased productivity. In the same way, employees feel that automation can bring them new job opportunities and even offer them higher salaries. In the next 50 years, as the world changes and automation increases, smart employees will be on the lookout for ways to upgrade their skills so that they can make a smooth transition to a new job. At the same time, we need to ask ourselves what it means to us to forgo the pros of human interaction that we experience at places like ticket booths.
