There have been a number of business reports recently that point to technology as the largest upcoming short-term business investment while less will be invested in people. Organizations need to find ways to leverage the people they have and create efficiencies with software. How does that make us feel as human beings? At first glance, it might make the average person nervous and they might start to ask themselves questions like, “will new technology replace my job,” or “can my job be combined with someone else’s in order to create an efficiency?”

If you are nervous that technology is going to replace your job, consider the following. First, technology will always require human intervention to keep it operational and to input information. Office automation technology cannot work or upgrade itself on its own. Second, if you can take advantage of the new technology to increase your productivity and create new products or services, your job will most likely be secure. Technology should improve the way you do business, and it is up to you to create those efficiencies. Finally, stay positive and be proactive in your position. Most organizations are willing to pay for the top performing employees that keep their business moving forward. It is not in their best interest to eliminate so many employees that they no longer have enough people to get the work done. However, your job is only as secure as the profitability of the entire organization.

Whether you use technology to create efficiencies or streamline some other manual process, you should continue to be proactive in containing costs and looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. What you are doing today will need to be better tomorrow, but change can be a challenge to accept when it impacts your job. As with any change, take a step back, look at how the new technology will affect your job, and then look for ways to embrace it and help take your organization to the next level. Organizations need to be diligent with their budgets. When total salaries for an average company take up 68% of the overall budget, additional costs will make a CEO think twice before adding additional headcount.

Jennifer Streeter is an author, professional speaker and executive coach focusing on developing internal leaders. Her organization is founded on the principles of the Leadership Pyramid, and it is engrained in every aspect of its operation.