In this Age of Automation, workers don’t have to be robots to do their jobs

In today’s highly automated world, it seems as if the robots have taken over the workplace.

Remember the Age of Automation?

In the late 1950's the first American workers to be affected by technological advances were sent from the production line to the unemployment line, as machines began to take over the work of humans.

It's still happening today, and most consumers actually prefer that combination of automation and human interaction.

For a simple bank deposit, there is the ATM. And when something goes wrong, there is still a bank teller out there, somewhere, who can answer the phone or call us up to the window to get it worked out.

Despite the advances that save money and time, most would agree that there are some jobs that were never meant to be done by robots.

Even so, the way that some human beings perform their work makes their co-workers and customers swear that they had been replaced by very human-looking robots.

In fact, in some industries, sometimes it seems that the robots have taken over.

There is a funny scene in the movie “Meet the Parents” that illustrates this problem. Ben Stiller is in the airport, at the gate, waiting to board the plane. He waits as any passenger would, except for one key difference: he is the only one in the boarding area.

Instead of allowing him to get on the plane, the airline employee continues to call out the boarding announcements — in proper order, of course — allowing him to board only when his row is called.

Are there robots in your workplace? Learn how to spot them — and cut off their power source by insisting on human behavior:

But that’s our policy!

A front-line supervisor who once worked for me dispensed the following advice to her employees, “We have policies here, and I expect you to know them and to follow them. However, we are the people, and we make those policies. When the situation warrants, I expect you to break the policy.”

That is smart — and gutsy — management. It requires hiring the right people and then training them to think.

Consider a hotel’s check-in policy. Most hotels have a check-in time in the afternoon. This gives them time to check out the people from the previous night, and get those rooms cleaned and ready for the new guests.

What about the tired family, who arrives at 11 a.m., having driven for several hours with children — one of whom looks as if they may be sick? Policy would dictate that check-in time is 2 p.m. A human being knows to find a clean room for them and get them checked in as soon as possible.

It’s easier not to think

Some humans adopt the robotic characteristics simply because it's less work than thinking. It doesn't require as much energy to say “no” all day long to co-workers who need extra assistance or an exception to a rule.

Policies are meant to ensure a smooth and consistent running of a business. They are not created for employees to hide behind. If a co-worker or a customer needs something done very quickly, consider stepping up — and stepping outside of policy — to do something extra, even if it means putting aside fears that people are going to expect this every time. Any potential abusers can be dealt with later.

Working in a dictatorship

Often when employees are acting like robots, it is actually out of fear. When the boss is a tyrant, workers would rather do things the same way every time (even when it results in poor service or a loss of money) than risk the wrath of a bully.

Don’t give that type of business your business. The only way the company will take notice of the damage done by a tyrant boss is when the company begins to lose customers and profits.

Is automation a bad thing? Certainly not. At the end of a busy day, the automated checkout line at the grocery store holds some appeal — scan your items, pay with the ATM card, and get out of there as quickly as possible. However, when it comes to certain aspects of the working world, there is no substitute for the human touch.

The computers can keep track of the inventory, but it’s the teenager stocking shelves who sees the elderly lady struggling to lift something off of a high shelf. We still need that worker to step outside of his responsibilities and offer to lend a hand. That is what will bring the customers back the next day.

Don't allow pressures to perform keep you from maintaining that human touch in your own work — when the robots take over, the humans lose.