Abstract
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, a key challenge facing organizations is how to implement automation in a way that boosts operational efficiency without neglecting the human impact on workers. This dual challenge, optimizing systems while safeguarding employee well-being, defines the broader problem that connects my two research projects. My technical capstone project focused on creating and deploying automated workflows at Hilton to streamline business operations and reduce manual labor, offering a case study in how automation can be done efficiently. In contrast, my thesis paper examined how workers in retail, transportation, and hospitality respond to automation in their industries, highlighting the concerns, generational divides, and policy gaps that often accompany technological change. Together, these projects explore both sides of the automation equation: how automation is built, and how it is experienced. By examining both the technical implementation and the social consequences, my work underscores the importance of aligning technological innovation with strategies that protect worker autonomy, security, and dignity.
In my technical capstone project, I worked as a Platform Architecture intern at Hilton to address inefficiencies in two areas: requisition processing and internal server monitoring. The problem centered around the need to minimize manual intervention in routine business workflows, which often led to delays in Hilton’s operations. To solve this, I implemented a streamlined integration workflow using Workato to process requisitions efficiently with Coupa and enhanced an existing automation bot built in Blue Prism to monitor services involving the Hilton Honors Database and Salesforce. I used tools like Postman for API testing and ServiceNow for submitting changes during development, following a full software development lifecycle. The result was an automated integration process of requisitions, removing the need for manual checking to approve requisitions, along with a 20% boost in performance through enhancements to the bot’s functionality. These implementations demonstrated how automation, when done thoughtfully, can reduce human involvement and improve system reliability, offering a scalable solution that could be expanded across Hilton’s departments.
My STS research explored a very different but deeply connected problem: how workers in retail, hospitality, and transportation sectors are responding to automation technologies being introduced into their workplaces. Drawing on a mix of peer-reviewed studies, government reports, and industry white papers, I analyzed how automation technologies, such as self-checkouts, truck platooning, and algorithmic scheduling tools, are impacting employees' perceptions of job security, autonomy, and identity, with common concerns amongst different industries. Using diffusion of innovation theory as a framework, I found that generational divides play a major role in how automation is received. Older workers often view automation as a threat to their hard-earned skills, while younger employees tend to see it as an opportunity to offload tedious tasks and grow new ones. My findings also emphasized that without policy support, such as retraining programs or union-driven protections, automation can deepen workplace inequalities. Ultimately, the research showed that worker adaptation to automation is not just a technical challenge but a deeply social one, shaped by cultural values, labor structures, and institutional support, or lack thereof.
By approaching automation from both a technical and sociotechnical perspective, I was able to contribute meaningfully to the broader challenge of aligning automation with worker well-being, a challenge many companies forget to consider. However, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was the limited amount of existing research on this issue. Across sectors like retail, transportation, and hospitality, I often found only one substantial source per industry, making it difficult to develop deeper, cross-sector insights. This lack of data underscores how underexplored the human side of automation still is. While my research highlights important themes, it only scratches the surface. Future researchers should investigate how automation design can be made more participatory, ensuring worker voices are included early in the development process. Additionally, long-term studies on retraining program outcomes and union policy effectiveness could further close the gap between technical potential and social equity in automated workplaces.
I would like to thank Professor Caitlin Wylie for her thoughtful guidance and encouragement throughout the development of this thesis. Her feedback challenged me to think critically about the broader impacts of technology and helped shape the direction of my research.
