HR Working Group publishes seven proposals on work after Covid
Munich, 25 June 2021
As infection rates fall and restrictions are relaxed, will many employees soon stop working from home and return to their offices? Regardless of how the current debate on this question plays out, there is little doubt that hybrid working models are here to stay, even once the pandemic is over. In a new acatech IMPULSE, acatech’s Human Resources Working Group (HR Working Group) presents seven proposals for ensuring good working conditions and enabling creative and productive work in mobile working environments and hybrid models.
The challenge currently facing many companies is to determine how the increased use of digital technology during the present crisis can be sustained over the longer term and how the opportunities that mobile and hybrid forms of working offer employees and businesses can be maintained and strengthened once the coronavirus pandemic is over. Changes in organisational and management culture will be required to harness the full potential of these forms of working.
In a new acatech IMPULSE, acatech’s Human Resources Working Group (HR Working Group) presents a series of proposals for shaping this transformation in a way that ensures good working conditions and enables creative and productive work in mobile working environments and hybrid models. The HR experts’ seven proposals discuss changes to performance evaluation instruments, the potential benefits of “team charters”, and the future use of offices.
According to ergonomist Dieter Spath, who co-chaired the working group behind the paper, management culture also needs to change: “Hybrid working models don’t require less management, but they do call for a re-evaluation of the role of managers and the value added by management. In the future, managers will still define rules and structures. At the same time, however, decision-making powers and responsibility must be credibly delegated and employees must be given enough freedom to perform their duties. The ultimate goal should be to strike a productive balance between transparency and control.”
Co-chair Elke Frank, Chief Human Resources Officer at Software AG, adds that “Communication and trust are the keys to good management in the modern workplace. You can never have too much communication. Direct discussions with employees are vital, especially if you want to encourage and empower them to take responsibility, not only for their to-do lists but also for their own wellbeing. As a manager, your main role is to create an overall framework that supports safe behaviours and a safe working environment.”
This new acatech IMPULSE is intended as a resource for the different stakeholders in the digital transformation. The proposals aim to facilitate forward-looking organisational development and promote productivity, innovation and good working conditions in Germany.
