Employee morale is one of the main factors affecting productivity. Generally, the better your employees’ morale, the more productive they are likely to be. This is because an employee who feels good about their workplace, coworkers, and their job is more likely to communicate better, dedicate themselves towards ensuring customer satisfaction, and participate in activities that are designed to ensure the company’s success.
Adopting different forms of manufacturing automation is an easy way for companies in the manufacturing industry to boost employee morale. This is so especially if they deploy collaborative robots as an integral part of their automation efforts. The following are the different ways in which using collaborative robots in your facility will boost employee morale.
Fewer incidences of workplace injuries
A lot of employees lose their jobs because of unfortunate incidents in the workplace. For some, it is usually as a result of operating dangerous machinery, and for others, it is as a result of overexertion or unfortunate accidents and mistakes. Some even end up getting burdened with chronic pain as a result of doing tasks that involve repetitive motions.
The fear of ending up with lifelong pain or disability due to workplace injury can dampen employee morale. This is so especially in cases where employees witness their colleagues suffer the consequences of working in dangerous environments.
Small businesses can avoid the effect that accidents and injuries have on morale by simply automating their processes. Cobots are great at executing tasks in dangerous environments. They are also good at accurately accomplishing repetitive tasks. Therefore, you can use them to handle jobs that pose the highest risks of injury to your employees. Doing so will not only protect your employees from injury, but also show them that you care about their health and wellbeing. Both of these things will go a long way towards improving employee morale.
Reduced stress
Constant stress is a common cause of low morale. In the manufacturing industry, this usually happens in cases where a company has to race against deadlines or in cases where a company is experiencing the growing pains of scaling their operations. The pressure that comes with deadlines and a changing environment can damage employee morale, especially if the employees work nonstop.
Employees occasionally need breaks in order to recharge. They also have the right to reasonable and healthy working hours. You can guarantee them these things if you automate most of your processes with cobots since, with these robots, you can increase production at a moment’s notice. You can even get them working throughout the night on aspects of a project so that when your employees report to work the next day, they have less of a workload to bear. The increased productivity that these robots provide especially in cases where your company is fighting against a deadline will definitely ease the stress that your employees are under, and this will play a huge role in boosting their morale.
Meaningful work
Collaborative robots are designed to collaborate with human workers. They are safe enough to operate right next to human beings, and they can handle repetitive and routine tasks with precision. All these things make these robots perfect when it comes to complementing human labor. They can free up your employees from doing work that does not offer them job satisfaction. This freedom can then be used to pursue career growth opportunities. They can then try to contribute towards your company’s success in different ways that make them feel more fulfilled. This is great for their morale.
Job security
Unlike traditional robotic systems, collaborative robots are created to work alongside human beings. They are not designed to completely replace them. Therefore, when you choose to automate your manufacturing operations, opting for these robots will definitely be good for morale since your employees won’t have to worry about being let go. This is good for morale, and it will definitely increase your odds of successful integration.
