Since the lockdown, the line between work and personal life has become quite blurred. In this case, how does the company ensure that employees find the necessary balance?
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Detlef Krause: Before the Covid-19 pandemic, ServiceNow conducted a study on employee satisfaction, in which 2,000 employees of German companies were surveyed. This shows that 57% of employees will give up their current jobs in order to achieve a better work-life balance. I asked myself: What is the result now? Can you still distinguish between “work” and “life”? Or your work has firmly grasped the kitchen, living room or terrace?
Suddenly, companies must rush to provide work-from-home solutions-thereby implementing processes, workflows, and technologies that usually must first be created temporarily. Anyone who has done digital and smooth workflow operations here in recent years has a clear advantage. I also exchanged views with the founder and business coach Alexander Hahn to discuss what the company should do in times of crisis to satisfy employees.
What advice does Alexander Hahn offer?
He saw many possibilities. For example, a good structure can enable employees to work safely and efficiently even in a home office; on the other hand, we will look forward to how things continue to develop, and everyone can contribute to the success of individuals and entrepreneurs. It is very important to belong to the team here-sharing values towards the goal. Regular communication in the team via video calls should be an integral part of daily work. I am absolutely deeply interested and participate in virtual conference calls with my team every morning.
Can things like a good working atmosphere be transferred to the virtual world?
Picture: ServiceNow
I have also seen this in my team and collaboration with colleagues-apart from an open and appreciative work atmosphere, nothing can stimulate their motivation more than this. To me, the results of research on respect for others are even more shocking: only 42% of employees feel that the company values them. Not even half?
Screaming literally to change. This is the opinion of Philipp Aring, a candidate for ESCP master’s big data and business analysis. He saw the difference between feeling and actual recognition. He believes that gratitude usually only happens implicitly, that is, they usually exist in it and are not actively expressed. As a manager, you must ask yourself again and again: “Did I clearly communicate my thoughts?”
Even before Corona, it was not easy to establish a culture of open dialogue. What do you think of the current situation?
The fact is: expressing opinions is the basis for motivation, innovation and ultimately the development of new business models! These factors are critical to survival, especially in times of crisis. I hope this pandemic can foster a more open company and wrong culture. Because our results before the pandemic were surprising: Only 39% of participants said their views were useful to employers.
Katja Pischel, a highly respected former colleague and an expert in personal branding, also believes that poor results are asking for help. She wants to know which company is truly capable of giving up various opinions in order to better understand customers, develop better products and services, and motivate employees.
How important is well-functioning technology to employee satisfaction?
Companies must be very careful here: almost every second employee will change companies for better technology. Our research results show how digitalization now affects our work choices, and a seamless digital process is essential. Gitta Spörer, senior director of sales and managing director of the allectio consulting group, went further. She can only confirm the results of the research as an employee and employer, and believes that if the corporate culture is still correct, even more people will be willing to change.
How important are mobile devices in this regard?
The pandemic has greatly promoted the spread of mobile and remote work. Even before Covid-19, our research showed that 69% of employees between the ages of 18-24 wanted to use smartphones, tablets and other devices for work. Dr. Elke Frank, member of the Legal and IT Executive Committee of CHRO and Software AG, is an absolute expert in human resources and employee satisfaction. At Software AG, she experienced disciplined and dedicated work in the home office. Decisions are made quickly and executed properly. However, this also confirms that the space of the home office and the sense of innovation and creativity are declining. On the other hand, the company’s sense of unity is increasing, which she thinks is cool!
The combination of home office and lock-in leads to long working hours for many people. How do you handle that?
This pandemic shows us the extremes of the work world, from business closures and short-term work to overloading and overtime accumulation. Even before the pandemic, the study showed that 72% of employees in Germany worked overtime. It is important to clearly see that overtime is often an indicator of a poor and time-consuming process that prevents employees from performing productive and meaningful work.
To me, this means very clear: it is now up to the manager to change it to avoid staff shortages and fluctuations. Peter Pahlstedt, manager of dfind.com, sales, IT and headhunting expert, also thinks so. He believes that there is a link between motivation, technology and emotional intelligence. He believes that employees’ performance should be scored and paid instead of attendance-good managers should be able to measure this correctly.
What is your conclusion?
Of course, the new world of work is more than just management responsibility. If you want to establish a new unity culture in the company, you also need employees to make a commitment. This is teamwork! More freedom also means taking on more responsibilities and continuous development. The company closest to the term “the future of work” is diverse, innovative, agile, open and digital!
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