How does the introduction of automation single out certain

Assignment Help HR Management
Reference no: EM133372787

Case Study: A trip around the world can show how automation both drastically decreases the number of employees needed to produce a given product, and at the same time, increases the quality of the jobs for the employees that remain in terms of the nature of work, the security of work, and the safety of work. For example, in the 1960s a traditional steel mill would require 1,000 employees to produce 500,000 tons of steel. However in 2018, a steel mill in Donawitz, Austria, can produce the same output with just 14 employees. Blue-collar jobs in a traditional steel mill required a great deal of hard, physical, manual labor next to blazing hot blast furnaces, but at the Donawitz facility, all that work has been automated. The work that remains looks more like a videogame, where workers sit in a clean, quiet control room perched above all the fray, monitoring the movement and processing of molten iron ore via a bank of computer screens. When asked what steel production is going to look like in the future, plant manager Wolfgang Eder notes that "it is impossible to predict, but the positive thing is, the jobs surviving in the long run will be really attractive." In addition to enhancing the nature of the work, automation has also radically improved job security. Traditionally, jobs in the manufacturing industry were subject to the whims of supply and demand, and workers were accustomed to being laid off and then reinstated over and over again. In 2018, however, layoffs in the U.S. hit a 50-year low, and most of this could be traced to enhanced stability in the manufacturing sector of the economy. In Detroit, Michigan, for example, PVS Chemical Company has stabilized employment at roughly 800 employees, and has not laid anyone off despite ebbs of demand for its products. CEO David Nicholson notes, "We have become much more careful about letting people go. Most manufacturing jobs today are technology jobs, and it takes a long time to train someone for the role, and thus you're reluctant to let them go for short-term slowdowns." Finally, in terms of enhanced safety, an examination of the Rotterdam shipyards reveals how automation is increasing safety and reducing injuries. In the past, the work of the "stevedores," the local name given to dock-workers, was backbreaking labor that often resulted in a whole host of injuries. Whether due to accidents or just declining physical capacity, most stevedores struggled to work past the age of 45, when they were then either dismissed or placed on permanent permanent disability. Today, the ports are automated and cargo is loaded and unloaded remotely and moved from place to place via driverless vehicles. The threat of injuries is greatly reduced because, whereas in the past, you had a large number of men physically moving heavy containers, you now find one 22-year-old woman with perfect eye-hand coordination orchestrating workflow. Although this type of automation is great when it comes to creating jobs that are more attractive, secure, and safe, however, the downside is that it obviously displaces a lot of workers such as the "stevedores."

Questions:

1. How does the introduction of automation single out certain subpopulations when it comes to securing and holding a job?

2. What can HR professionals, as well as local and federal governments, do to protect these subpopulations?

Reference no: EM133372787

Questions Cloud

What is collaboration and negotiation how can unions work : What is collaboration and negotiation. How can unions work to achieve this in working environments?
Demand curves for both products and why : Explain in detail the changes that would occur in the demand curves for both products and why?
Explain why this tool would be a benefit to the workplace : What are some evaluation tools that have already been developed for organizations. Analyze at least two of the evaluation tools and their importance
Compare your findings with opportunity costs and trade-offs : Compare your findings with the opportunity costs and trade-offs if the small business owner were to choose buying groceries in the store instead.
How does the introduction of automation single out certain : How does the introduction of automation single out certain subpopulations when it comes to securing and holding a job? What can HR professionals, as well as
First fundamental theorem of welfare economics : What is Pareto Efficiency? (Example). Why does free trade in principle promote Pareto efficiency?
Determine the maximum deduction for child care costs : The child care costs for the current year, all properly documented for tax purposes, are $29000. Determine the maximum deduction for child care costs
Determine two marketing objectives for company : Determine two marketing objectives for the company. Be sure that they are specific, measurable, and time specific.
How would one defend the use of adaptive leadership to make : How would one defend the use of adaptive leadership to make decisions in a crisis environment such as COVID 19?

Reviews

Write a Review

HR Management Questions & Answers

  Improve problem solving capabilities within organization

Types of teams as to their effectiveness that will improve problem solving capabilities within organizations.

  Influence tactics help in reducing organizations politics

Explain the different types of influence tactics that will be of a help “if adopted” in reducing the organizational politics.

  Report on citigroup''s hr service level agreement

Human Resources or Human Resource Management deals with HR Service Level Agreement. HR Service Level Agreement is an agreement made between the employer and the employee, which states that the employee would work under any client and sometimes any ti..

  A project report on hrm

Human Resource Management as the name suggests, it is a management discipline which deals with the human i.e. the workforce aspect of organizations. Need and practices of HRM are inevitable in present scenario of extreme competition where "Talent War..

  Hrp: recruitment and selection

Recruitment and Selection is the initial ladder of any Human Resource Planning process and contains an immense significance for any organisation.

  A project report on study of statutory complainces

Statutory compliance and its immense knowledge are crucial to be understood in an organization. It contains all the forms, procedures and acts applicable in a company.

  Operant conditioning and Reinforcement

Operant conditioning is a learning process where behaviour is controlled by its consequences. In this process an individual's behaviour can be modified through the use of positive or negative reinforcement.

  Effectiveness of training programs in achieving customers an

The main motive for conducting this research is to provide broad range of research of the literature and their reviews related to training and development and assisting the employees in providing customers satisfaction.

  A critical analysis of hr processes and practices in fedex c

FedEx is illustrious for its novel HR processes and practices that have greatly accounted for its success.

  Integrating culture and diversity in decision making

People in the organization are known as Google where they share common goals and have common vision.

  Impact of employee attrition on people management in organis

Talent management implies recognizing a person's inherent skills, traits, personality and offering him a matching job.

  Labour dissonance at maruti suzuki india limited: a case stu

This Case Study focuses on various issues related to Labour Unrest at Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd