Automation is essential to survival in the Industry 4.0 economy. However, companies of all sizes struggle with adopting robots that could substantially improve their processes and improve the lives of their workforce. One roadblock has been workforce acceptance of changes that automation can bring. Historically, robots have been difficult to work with, require major disruptions to workflow, or outside experts to get the robot working in the first place; and workers naturally resist these disruptions. They also reject big changes that don’t include them. This session will offer suggestions for including the workforce in your industry 4.0 plans, providing them with tools they can master and make their own, and in doing so gain their acceptance and support. We’ll demonstrate how putting the robots in workers hands early and often promotes pride of ownership and unleashes their creativity and experience to make continued process improvements. Oftentimes, they will then be your best evangelists and consultants on how robots can and should be used to improve the productivity in a particular workcell and across the factory floor. To empower the workforce early on, these new automation tools must be easy to work with. We’ll provide guidance on how to choose equipment that is both intuitive to set up and simple to operate, which expedites adoption. Additionally, we’ll help you discern between myth and reality of robotics features and functions so you can manage expectations among management and employees. In the end, you’ll see how easy to use robots wielded by enthusiastic employees will help your team dramatically speed up deployment, expand adoption, and increase productivity.