3.3.2 An employee may need to be retrained so that they can learn new skills to work the computers. This may need to be done more than once as the rate at which technology is increasing is such that every five years the program is updated and the employee needs new skills to work it. This can be bad for the employee as they may have to take time off from work to learn and may be behind in what they are doing. But it can also be bad for the employer as they are losing money while the employee is training and also may have to pay for the training itself.
3.3.3 You may not think that computers can cause much damage to a person working on them but this is not true. Health and safety for employees working on computer is paramount. Because they are working so long on the computer in an often cramped space they can get repetitive strain injuries in their muscles which can cause problems in later life and they can also get damaged eyes and other health problems. Because of this the employers may try to improve the ergonomics that the employee is working in and also may make it a safer place to work by giving the employee free health checks and eye checks.
3.3.4 The social factors on employees because of technology are probably the most radical and important. This may be because of redundancy through automation or just by working at home. The problem is that machines and technology seems to be taking the roles of humans in every thing we do. When new machines are brought in that maybe can weld bits of a car together it means that the person who was doing that job before is no longer needed and will be made redundant by the employer. This happens because the worker is seen to be less efficient than the machine because the machine is cheaper to run works faster and does not complain about working all day and all night. Social isolation can also be a problem when employees decide to work from home. This means that they do not have to travel to work and also that they may not talk to anyone for several days. This can also be a problem because they may get out of the routine of doing the work and can concentrate less than they do at work because there are more distractions at home. But this also can be a good thing because the employee will get more leisure time and therefore will be willing to do more work because they are happier.
3.2 THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE EMPLOYER
3.2.1 The effects on the employer because of technology are very similar to those of the employee. One of the effects that this does not apply to however is the cost of the technology to the employer. They have to pay for the installation of the software and the machines themselves. If it is a program that is not free then every computer must have a separate copy and this can cost a lot if there are lots of computers. Also there is the maintenance of the computers and machines like when they break down it will cost the employer to get them fixed as well as him/her losing money because the machine is not doing the work in that time. I have already mentioned the cost of training for the employer but also when someone is made redundant by the employer they have to be paid compensation and this can also add up as more technology comes in and more people leave.
3.2.2 The location of the company can also be affected by technology, this is because the position of the company does not matter as much as it used to. This is because the company can now send messages by e-mail and fax so they do not have to wait a long time for important messages to get to there associates or customers. There can also be a down side to this however because the company may have to reorganise the way it handles the mails from the days when it was using pen and paper to the computer screen, this may also cost the employer money.
3.2.3 Staffing may also be a problem for the employer caused by the effects of technology. This is because employees will need to be trained so they can use the technology fast and efficiently. This will cost money but also it may mean that employees will need time off from work to go to college and train. If that is the case then the employer may need to get people to cover for the training employees and that could mean more cost and the employer will have to take this into consideration.
3.2.4 Resources will be much improved for the employer because of the effects of technology. Following computerisation in the work place the employer will benefit from savings. This is because more things can be done in less time so more products can be made and therefore the employer will get more money from customers. Also quality control will be improved because the computers and machines make it easier to check that the products that are made are not damaged or faulty because more people are available to check as the computers make their work quicker so they can check products more.
3.2.5 The efficiency that new technology creates is one of the greatest effects on the employer. Many things are made a lot quicker and less time is wasted because in many cases the computer can do jobs a lot quicker than the employee. this means that the employer saves more money because he does not need to employ as many workers as he might have done before the computers were introduced so he does not have as many people to pay so he saves money.
3.2.6 Another effect of technology on everyone in the work place is that less natural resources are took up or used because the computer does not use paper for e-mails and although a lot of paper will still be used it is not as much as was used before. Also pencils pens and other stationary will be saved as computers will be used for word documents, e-mails, etc.
3.3 THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE WAY WE WORK.
3.3.1 The technology of today has great effects on the way we all work. One of these is that now employees can work from many different place sand this could not be even thought of before this technology was created. Employees can now even work from home and send and receive work by e-mail so they can go to work without going to work. This can also be a bad thing though because there are many more distractions at home and this can cause work to be unfinished or badly processed.
3.3.2 technology has also brought designing to a whole new level and designing is a skill all companies need to produce products that people will buy. This way of designing is called CAD or computer aided design. This is a method of designing using a computer program that can create 3D images, two or three point perspective and all can be done in a fraction of the time it takes a human to do them
3.3.3 Robots are some of the most amazing effects of technology as they can be programmed to do almost anything a human can do. this is good for the employer as he can use robots to produce products faster and for less money than a human worker. But this means bad news for the employee as the robots take their role in the work place and the workers eventually become made redundant.
3.3.4 Electronic point of sale is another good advance in technology for employers and employees. it means when customers are buying products every thing is easier to process and mistakes are less likely to happen because of pressure on a human to speed the process up without a computer. So the employee can work more effectively and sell more products and the employer get more money for the company.
4.0 CONCLUSION
As I have seen when I have been researching the effects of technology on the work place I can see that there are advantages and disadvantages for both the employer and the employee. However their does seem to be more disadvantages for the employee than the employer, this maybe because the computers can do their jobs so they are not needed by the employer or they are not skilled enough to work on the machines. The employer benefits from faster and more work being done so the money the company makes is increased. The problems with doing this is that at first the company will have to pay a lot of money for the machines and computers that need to be brought in to make the company gain. Overall though there are more good points to computerisation in a company for both employers and employees. Their company will grow because of the impacts of technology and overall everyone will gain someway or another.
5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
As a result of my research on the effects of technology I think the following things are going to happen in the near future. I think that computers may take over the jobs of employees so much that employers may be the only people still working. I think this because technology has evolved so much over the last ten years that people are starting to find new uses for it and soon developers of computer equipment, software and hardware will discover computers that can do jobs that humans do better than humans. This means that it will be very hard for people who are not skilled in the art of computers to get jobs and even earn a living.
