HR Directors are all too familiar with the quiet unease currently permeating the job market and workplace. Whether recruiting new candidates or interacting with the existing team, HR must navigate conversations around the overwhelming influence of AI, controversial return-to-office mandates and a continuing Cost-of-Living Crisis in the UK. All that to say, workplace stress levels are high, and team morale is taking a hit. 

If not implemented correctly, AI-driven orchestration, the seamless integration and management of systems, data, apps, and experiences to ensure smooth and effective operations across an organization, can be a significant source of anxiety, particularly related to job security, which is fair considering the Institute for the Future of Work found automation risks increasing inequality. But that needn’t be the reality of orchestration, far from it. When implemented carefully, orchestration can allow business leaders to reap the efficiency benefits of AI and automation while also boosting job satisfaction and retaining valuable talent. 

When orchestration is considered holistically across all departments, not only to cut costs, new opportunities can open up for collaboration, team building and, ultimately, a greater sense of purpose in the workplace. 

 The Gift of Time: Letting Employees Do More of What They Love  

We may think of big, needle-moving projects and initiatives as the key drivers of job satisfaction, but research shows the devil is in the details, with smaller, administrative tasks having an outsized impact on how employees feel day-to-day.  

Mundane, manual tasks sap energy and enthusiasm at work: according to Workato’s Automate to Elevate Report, the vast majority of employees (97%) identify the automation of administrative tasks as a main factor in their overall job satisfaction. Automating these tasks frees up time for more meaningful work that involves deep thought, skill or collaboration. 

When highlighted in this way, automation is giving employees the gift of time and empowering them to do the work they love most and find most fulfilling, which we know has a knock-on effect on their wellbeing, happiness and quality of work. In a tough economic climate, it’s also helping ease pressure for growth and creating more time for strategic business-critical work that best uses your workforce’s talent and focus. 

AI is well recognised for business impact and improved productivity, but an orchestration strategy should not be designed with only efficiency in mind. Consulting all departments of a company, from sales to IT to HR, will inform an orchestration strategy that boosts all facets of a workplace, including job satisfaction. 

 Workplace Relationships: Overlooked Impact  

Those in HR know how valuable workplace relationships can be in boosting job satisfaction, but the impact of this “soft” metric is often overlooked. Of those who do not have strong relationships in the workplace, only 11% feel very satisfied with their jobs, but for those with strong relationships, 64% are very satisfied. The data speaks for itself, and sadly, more often than not, those who lack relationships are the employees who don’t have enough time in their day to spend building those connections. 

Orchestration can free up extra time for water-cooler chat and spontaneous brainstorming sessions that are essential in building a collaborative, well-connected team – and usually result in the most innovative and sharpest thinking. 81% of respondents agreed that building positive relationships and connections with coworkers at any level is important in their overall job satisfaction – automation is a sure-fire way to give employees more time to prioritise this. 

HR’s Role in Reframing the Narrative 

HR has a significant voice to add to the orchestration conversation – one that sees automation not just from a productivity lens, but a human one. 

Next time you hear concerns of low morale or disengagement, consider whether teams are overburdened – not just by workload, but by the type of work they are doing. When employees are being worn down by repetitive admin, there’s little room left for creativity, collaboration or growth. Thoughtfully deployed, automation is not a job-stealer – it’s a time-giver. It enables people to focus on the tasks that bring meaning, connection, and value.  

For HR, the opportunity is clear: reframe automation as a strategic lever to build a more empowered, satisfied and human-friendly workplace.