Will Alexa Be Your Next Co-Worker?

Alexa — the virtual assistant inside Amazon’s smart speakers — can make life around the house substantially easier by adding things to your shopping list, creating event reminders and even ordering you an Uber trip or a Domino’s pizza.

But what about how Alexa could help you get more done at work? Might there come a day when instead of swiveling your office chair to address a coworker in the adjacent cubicle, you turn your head to face a smart speaker and utter a cue for Alexa? Let’s explore that possibility and what it might mean for the workplaces of the near future.

Amazon Positioned Alexa for Workplace Use
In fall 2017, Amazon began targeting the corporate world with the rollout of Alexa for Business. That corporate version of Alexa stood out due to name recognition, but it’s not the only brand that’s started making people think about how voice commands could boost productivity.

Relying on Smart Speakers to Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently
Supporters of using voice recognition technology at work say smart speakers could help people accomplish tedious tasks by abandoning outdated methods that were both time-consuming and frustrating. Plus, they point out how companies have already created work-related skills to increase Alexa’s capabilities.

Even if Alexa or a similar smart speaker cannot complete all the steps required for getting something done, the fact that technology could at least handle some of them allows human workers to get more done by reducing the number of steps necessary to accomplish a task.

When technology takes over to handle some of the things people would rather not do, it allows those individuals freedom to exercise creativity and demonstrate critical thinking.

As a result, partnering with Alexa to check tasks off a to-do list could make people feel more valued and able to sharpen the skills that are most relevant to their work.

Dozens of People Talking to Smart Speakers Could Make an Office Too Noisy
While pondering what offices of the future might include, people have pointed out talking to an Amazon smart speaker at home usually isn’t overly disruptive because people in the house are the only individuals who hear the commands and Alexa’s responses.

Unfortunately, though, Amazon’s smart speakers as most people know them aren’t practical for people to set on their desks and talk to throughout the day. That’s particularly true since today’s offices are frequently cramped and only have flimsy partitions between each workstation.

What if Alexa responds to a person who’s sitting several feet away and isn’t the primary user of the respective smart speaker?

Alexa Could Help Companies Save Money
As Alexa’s capabilities continue to grow, it’s not hard to see why corporate leaders may argue using Alexa-powered smart speakers at work will reduce expenses.

If Alexa can help a person set up meetings, confirm flights and compose emails, it becomes less necessary to hire a human assistant to tackle those things. Indeed, there is an initial investment to purchase the smart speaker, but that cost is substantially lower than paying wages for another employee — even one who is part-time.

Also, if a company connects Alexa for Business to a building’s climate control system and lighting, a worker could use voice commands to turn off the lights in an empty room or set the air conditioner to a reduced-energy mode without standing up from a desk chair.

Both of those methods of making environmental adjustments help people remain comfortable and able to work at their best while potentially supporting cost-cutting measures.

Security Concerns Could Arise
Having a thorough understanding of how Alexa and other virtual assistants could impact workplaces soon includes realizing some people may not be comfortable working around smart speakers, due to uncertainty about what happens to their voice data when they interact with the gadgets.

Moreover, if using Alexa in the workplace becomes an extraordinarily popular option, Amazon’s smart speakers will undoubtedly entice hackers to carry infiltration attempts that steal data or turn the speakers into listening devices.

People often fear unfamiliar things, so if they aren’t accustomed to using smart speakers at home, they’re more likely than not to have security-related concerns about working around smart speakers that are always listening for their commands — and some of those worries could be valid.

It’s crucial for any companies that are interested in potentially bringing Alexa for Business or other smart speakers into the workplace to consult with professionals who have experience locking down Internet of Things devices.

The Potential Impact on Corporate Culture
Most companies actively recruit candidates who seem highly likely to embody the organization’s existing corporate values.

For example, the floor staff members at Trader Joe’s wear tropical-print shirts and have bubbly attitudes while interacting with customers. A person who has a downcast gaze and doesn’t smile once during a screener interview isn’t likely to progress through a hiring process for that company.

Keep in mind: Despite the usefulness of virtual assistants, they don’t have personalities or moods. There’s no need to determine how they align with corporate culture because Alexa won’t behave differently at some companies versus others.

On the positive side of things, the voices of virtual assistants typically sound calm and polite, so those characteristics might encourage employees to embrace them while speaking, too.

Creating a Well-Balanced Workplace
In closing, companies must remember that when used properly, smart speakers enhance what human workers can do and don’t diminish their abilities. If technology has a demoralizing effect on the workforce, the downsides of using it quickly become more apparent than the benefits.

Getting ongoing feedback from the workforce can help business leaders ensure technology does not overshadow human talent.

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