Digitalization is a megatrend that is transforming both our private lives and the entire business world. The Implementing digitalization is one of the biggest challenges facing companies today. This is because it affects all areas of the company: from the IT department and machinery to the corporate culture and the way we work (together). New Work is the buzzword HR managers use to describe working in a networked and digital world. However, the concept involves much more than the use of a social intranet.

What employees want

Attitudes towards work have changed dramatically. The principle "I work to live and don't live to work" is now put into practice by many. Gen Y in particular has a reputation for putting private life before work (even if work is still important). As this generation of people born in the late 80s and early 90s is currently entering or has just entered the job market, HR managers are increasingly looking at the Wishes of the so-called millennials. In addition to freedom and flexibility, you can expect interesting and meaningful tasks as well as transparent and cooperative personnel management.

More free space!

Keyword flexibility: according to a Survey by the rating portal kununu the greatest wish of German employees. In many companies, however, there is still a Culture of presence. The decisive factor for the line manager is how long the employee is in the office and not necessarily how much they manage to do in that time. If the employees have their way, this should change: Work is done regardless of time and place. Collaboration tools such as Yammer, Bitrix or Dropbox make it possible: virtual collaboration in a team, on different projects and from different end devices becomes easier to organize. They work like social networks. You can

• Post content
• Create groups (e.g. for specific projects)
• Create and distribute tasks
• Submit comments
• Distribute likes
• Write private messages
• Start surveys

However, digitalization promotes and demands flexibility not only in terms of work organization. Mental flexibility is also in demand: the soft skills most in demand in connection with digitalization are Hays Report 2017 Skills for a digital world the willingness to change with 78 percent. In second, third and fourth place came the ability to deal with uncertainty, the ability to deal with complexity, as well as independent work and creativity.

Organizational challenges

The flexibility that comes with the new world of work presents managers with organizational challenges. Even though digital tools enable collaboration across time zones and national borders, cooperation is becoming more complex and needs to be managed. This is why more than half of the 591 managers from German-speaking countries surveyed in the Hays Report 2017 see the development of new networked forms of cooperation between contractors, suppliers and customers as the greatest organizational challenge.

Transforming structure and culture

The workplace infrastructure also plays an important role in the implementation of New Work. Design of workspaces and the creation of zones depending on the type of work (e.g. for informal exchanges with colleagues, for meetings and presentations, for concentrated work and development), free time management and technological equipment.

New Work also includes new working methods, especially agile management. Creative techniques such as design thinking and management methods such as Scrum or Kanban, which originally come from software development, enable flexible project management and fast and creative product development. This enables rapid adaptation to general conditions and customer requirements.

An integrated approach to New Work

Decisive for the successful establishment of New Work is a holistic approach that focuses on people. stands. As with modern personnel management, the concept must adapt to the employee - and not the other way around. The qualifications, skills, character and preferences of the individual must be taken into account when designing their tasks and working environment. This is the only way for each individual to achieve optimum results. Job satisfaction increases and with it the company's reputation as an employer.

As with the implementation of digital transformation, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for establishing New Work. The demands placed on companies differ from case to case. However, it is crucial that all areas, i.e.

• Use of digital technologies and social media
• Workplace infrastructure
• Working methods
• Work organization
• Leadership culture

be approached in an integrated manner. All these elements are part of New Work. They are all interconnected and mutually dependent. Companies that are serious about digitalization and establishing New Work must include all areas in their concept.

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