Summary Reader Response Draft 4: Cleaning Robots

The article, "How tech can ease the cleaning industry's manpower crunch" by Germi (2021) discusses how the integration of technology can solve the manpower shortage in the cleaning industry. With an increase in the demand for cleanliness in the past 3 years due to Covid-19, people have become much more wary and concerned about hygiene and cleanliness. The article shows how to incorporate robots and the existing workforce to create a more efficient and cleaner space for everyone. According to the author, the aim of implementing robots is not to replace cleaning staff. While the robots are doing more repetitive tasks such as mopping, sweeping, picking up, and getting rid of thrash, cleaning staff can dedicate their time to disinfecting services which are highly sought after during the pandemic. The author mentions that companies can embrace the transformation with the integration of man and machine in the workforce. To ensure that both robots and humans can coexist harmoniously in the workforce, companies are spending money to upskill their workers by sending them to courses to teach them how to operate and deploy them safely and efficiently. Apart from learning how to automate these robots, they can also attend lessons and be deployed to more customer-centric jobs within the organization.

The correct use of technology in the cleaning industry can complement the efficacy of working staff by integrating cleaning robots into tasks and upskilling workers to operate the robots. However, using multiple robots in an enclosed environment may lead to respiratory problems for humans.

With the decline in Covid-19 cases, countries have become more lenient on restrictions which have seen an increase in people patronizing public places and the return of workers back to the office. However, it is of paramount importance that cleaning measures and processes are upheld and improved to keep the transmission of diseases at bay. To sustain these targets, the cleaning industry must strive to be as efficient as possible by coming up with innovative solutions to upgrade its current workforce and reduce the workload on cleaning staff. One such measure is the implementation of cleaning robots.

The first advantage of cleaning robots is the ability for companies to reduce the workload of the cleaning staff by delegating tasks. The article, "3 ways Humans and commercial cleaning robots work in the new normal" by Softbank robotics (2020) deliberates on the part that cleaning robots play in the future of commercial cleaning.  According to the author, robots can be tasked with labour-intensive and mundane tasks such as sweeping and vacuuming, which are essential services required to uphold cleaning standards. While cleaning robots are tasked with these jobs cleaning staff can be assigned to more detailed oriented and precise jobs like the deep cleaning of surfaces are commonly used areas. According to Davids (2022), a robotics blog, robots are better at repetitive tasks as compared to humans. This is because, unlike humans, robots can repeat tasks without growing tired and without compromising productivity after a long period. This is evident from using automation robots in the manufacturing industry to produce parts for the masses. This way, the use of cleaning robots can complement the efficiency of cleaning practices and assist the cleaning staff in their duties.

Another advantage of integrating robots with the cleaning staff is to have mundane tasks handled by robots while the cleaning staff can spend their time upskilling themselves to explore opportunities to move into supervisory roles, regardless of their educational background. (Arlen, 2019). According to NTUC Learning Hub, (2020), humans and workers can work hand in hand to mould a more productive future by training their employees to work on the robots by learning troubleshooting techniques and training new employees. In addition, they can be tasked to inspect and examine data, deploy robots, and suggest methods of improvement to the company to help make the robots work more efficiently. Therefore, by becoming upskilled, workers have the opportunity to grow into new positions and explore the new scopes of jobs available. 

However, the disadvantage of implementing too many robots is the usage of chemicals and ‘over cleaning’ which could expose the staff to these harmful chemicals. According to American Lung Association, (2022), people could face health problems through the usage or mixing of different cleaning agents and chemicals, which may lead to unexpected side effects and respiratory effects. When cleaning staff are working on and around the robots, they may be exposed to such chemicals and could potentially experience adverse side effects. 

In conclusion, the implementation of robots can be useful and essential in the cleaning industry provided they are integrated in a way that does help to complement the cleaning staff and aid in the manpower crunch by reducing the cleaning workload on staff and by allowing cleaning staff to upgrade themselves. 

 

References:

American Lung Association. (2022, November 17). Cleaning supplies and household chemicals. https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem

 

Arlen, C. (2019, November 14). The invasion of the cleaning robots is here - Resistance is futile. Revenue-IQ. https://www.revenue-iq.com/2019/10/the-invasion-of-the-cleaning-robots-is-here-resistance-is-futile/

 

Davids. (2022, May 12). 5 ways robots perform mundane tasks better than humans. Robotiq. https://blog.robotiq.com/5-ways-robots-perform-mundane-tasks-better-than-humans

 

Germii. (2021, June 1). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch. GovInsider. https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/how-tech-can-ease-the-cleaning-industrys-manpower-crunch-robots-germii

 

NTUC Learning Hub. (2020, November 30). Upskilling for a future with collaborative robots. GovInsider. https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/upskilling-for-a-future-with-collaborative-robots-ntuc-learninghub

 

SoftBank Robotics Team. (2020, April 14). 3 ways humans & commercial cleaning robots work in the new normal. https://us.softbankrobotics.com/blog/3-ways-humans-and-robots-collaborate-in-commercial-cleanings-new-normal