Ever since the pandemic in 2020, there has been an exponential increase in the adoption of online tools to facilitate business continuity. It is likely that some of these new initiatives are here to stay, as we find success in communicating remotely.
Some of the changes we have seen are a drastic increase in remote work, working from home, massive digital transformation, and automation of workplace tools to increase productivity and efficiency.
In this article, we will share more about how workplace automation (aka transforming your office to be more ‘smart’) can benefit your business.
We will also share the various tried-and-tested tools that can help to automate your business, to improve work-life balance and also increase workplace productivity.
What is a smart office?
A smart office is a hi-tech workplace that uses analytics and connected technology to help people work more efficiently and productively. In smart offices, analytics are used to understand how the environment can best serve its people and inform better working processes.
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The analytics produced from smart office/workplace automation technology (both software and hardware)Â are typically reflected in all sorts of reports.
What is Office Automation?
Office Automation or Workplace Automation is a general term that describes the different types of computer systems and software that are used to collect digitally, store, transfer, alter and utilise office information to execute tasks. In essence, office automation helps to manage data.
What is the function of office automation?
An office automation system enables data to move from one system to another on its own without human intervention and inaccuracies. These tools help organisations collect, manage, and analyse securely to accomplish everyday tasks and processes.
Generally, there are three basic activities of an office automation system – Storage of information, Exchange of Data and Data Management.
Having office automation in place allows your workplace to be hi-tech and use analytics and connected technology to help your staff work more efficiently and productively. Just like how smart homes that consist of all sorts of cool automations can provide us with various analytical insights, in smart offices, analytics and data gathered from the automation tools can be used to understand how the environment can best serve its people and inform better working processes.
Why is Office Automation important?
It is important to constantly adapt your company to the latest technology and trends, so your company will not fall behind. This means that you need to have as much time as possible (and also spend as little as possible) to dedicate to the strategizing, brainstorming and executing of company growth ideas. If you do not take the steps to automate various time-consuming and repetitive tasks, all these small tasks here and there will likely take up much of your day.
Some benefits that you can get from office automation will include reducing unnecessary repetitive tasks, reducing likelihood of human errors and therefore freeing up time for the more important & enjoyable work.
How can office automation save time?
Realistically, it will take time and effort to set up the tools required to automate various functions in your workplace. However, once you are done setting up, you can enjoy the fruits of your labour, which is the massive amount of time saved by all the office automation tools.Â
Office Automation saves time because office automation tools help to take over your time spent on various mundane, repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This helps to free up your time to do other tasks that require more brain power, such as strategic thinking, planning based on data provided by the automation tools, employee engagement and more.Â
The tasks that can easily be automated are listed in the next section ‘What you can automate in your workplace’.
What you can automate in your workplace
There are 4 main pillars that we have identified that you can automate in your workplace:
Human Resources
Business
Internal Operations
Ergonomics
Here are the tasks under each of the 4 pillars that you can automate:
| Human Resources | Ergonomics | Business | Internal Operations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Leave Management Claims Process Time and Attendance Reports Rostering Face Recognition Appraisal Booking paid time off Employee Onboarding Hiring contractors Filtering candidates Paying bills  |
Work Desk Height Lighting Air Conditioning Occupancy Multi Sensor |
Auto Signatures |
Hot Desk Bookings |
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