Service System Design Considering Employee Satisfaction Through Introducing Service Robots

Abstract

In this paper, we perform a basic analysis on employee satisfaction and production planning by introducing a service robot which delivers dishes in restaurant service. As an example of a service robot introduced in a Japanese restaurant, we focus on the pantry staff, kitchen staff, and customer service staff, as well as production planning that individual employees implicitly plan and update in their heads. The service robots are used to deliver the dishes prepared at the kitchen to the customer service floor, where the worker specifies the destination and transports the dishes while patroling the restaurant. By analyzing the productivity and employee satisfaction before and after the introduction of the service robots into the categories of serving, cooking area, and customer service, how employees can identify and coordinate work between humans and machines and change process design. From December 2019 to January 2020, an analysis was conducted based on the results of employee questionnaires and interviews conducted at a restaurant.