Automation is on the rise in the Swedish public sector and it is claimed to be a partial solution to the financial difficulties that many municipalities are facing. Concerns have been raised about how the use of software robots to automate processes could affect the public values that permeate the work in public administration. This thesis investigates how public values are manifested in the discourse among employees in the municipal social services regarding automation in public administration. As the use of software robots is a relatively new phenomena in public administration, there is need for empirical research on the effects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect empirical data. To complement the interviews, a minor document analysis was performed. The results indicate that efficiency is expressed as the major driver for automation. In relation to other public values a need is expressed to protect or to use safeguards so that other values are not affected in a negative way. To uphold or increase values, like legality, service and quality, measures must be taken as it is not seen as a natural benefit of automation. Automation is expressed as a threat against individual assessments, since the robot cannot make subjective judgments based on citizens unique needs, which is identified as a major concern in the discourse and an important area for future research.