Bringing automation technology into the workplace is critical for government agencies focused on creating a work environment that encourages long-term employee commitment and fosters career advancement.
When competing with the private sector for the best talent, considering the federal government’s shrinking workforce and tight budgets, automation can significantly improve the federal employee experience and increase employee engagement. can be increased. According to his Gallup survey in 2021, just 36% of employees are engaged in their jobs and…
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Bringing automation technology into the workplace is critical for government agencies focused on creating a work environment that encourages long-term employee commitment and fosters career advancement.
When competing with the private sector for the best talent, considering the federal government’s shrinking workforce and tight budgets, automation can significantly improve the federal employee experience and increase employee engagement. can be increased. A 2021 Gallup study estimated that just 36% of his employees are engaged in their jobs and workplaces. Maintaining high levels of engagement drives employee retention and acts as a catalyst for productivity, as well as creating the ability for employees to find their passion within the agency’s mission.
Automation facilitates this by delegating to software robots simple tasks that do not contribute to career development or the agency’s overall mission. For example, the United States Air Force has deployed robotic process automation throughout its agency. This has saved him more than $20 million taxpayer dollars at 23 bases and reduced manual tasks by 75%.
For agency leaders looking to build quality employee experiences, foster staff career advancement, and achieve mission goals, there are many ways that automation technology can help achieve these goals.
Automation empowers employees by building new skill sets
Automated software robots, when deployed properly, serve as reliable helpers for human robots.
Time-consuming and repetitive tasks can be handled, and employees are able to complete the often arduous tasks and apply their unique expertise to higher value tasks. Implementing automation helps employees feel valued. Being able to focus on and improve on the core responsibilities of their role creates a greater sense of purpose and happier employers.
When employees are freed from tasks that can be completed with RPA, they have time for training and skill-building activities, such as building leadership skills or learning new technologies. Given the examples where automation has indeed created a need for new jobs with advanced skill sets, many institutions that have adopted automation are using the funds saved from automated activities to train and upskill their employees. For example, automation implementations may introduce new tasks and features and create higher-skilled roles for employees such as developers, automation directors, and automation centers of excellence teams.
Automation increases productivity and reduces error rates
Engaged employees are more productive, fueling personal growth and overall agency success. Research shows that when federal employees are freed from tedious, repetitive and mundane tasks such as data collection, benefits, and claims processing, their overall productivity increases. As such, RPA enhances employee work and increases productivity while eliminating human error.
When the IRS implemented RPA for finance and procurement in 2020, their teams cleared nearly 1,500 open contract changes in 72 hours. It would take a full year to complete this manually. The Federal Reserve achieved similar results when implementing RPA, saving over 14,000 hours of manual work per year.
These agencies also leveraged RPA to help their employees and provide benefits to those in need. Now, instead of facing a formidable backlog, automation enables employees to better serve the public and handle more complex tasks that contribute to career advancement.
The road to automated workflows is a journey
Improving employee engagement and building career-aligned skills is part of the automation effort. However, knowing where to start is essential. The first step is to develop a strong proof of concept (PoC). This demonstrates the potential value of automation to an organization by mitigating targeted pain points. Following the PoC development, the stage is set to support scaled-up automation efforts by developing the initial team and management framework. Many institutions have been successful by establishing internal automated centers of excellence to guide their efforts.
And while many institutions have taken the first step by deploying basic RPA, they are looking to improve employee engagement and advance career advancement through intelligent automation and technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Applying other new technologies will bring even more benefits.
For institutions looking to improve employee talent and the overall work environment, introducing automation must be a top priority for leadership focused on improving mission outcomes, employee engagement, and career growth. not.
Danny Sutton is UiPath’s Federal Treasurer.