0415_WP_Brave-New-Work_EN (1)S.1-9

Whitepaper
Brave New Work:
The new reality

Table of contents
Preface 4
Brave New Work: The new reality 6
Facilitators – New Work 10
Definition New Work 11
New Work – Four elements of success 11
First element: Skills & mindset 12
Second element: Devices and tools 16
Third element: Digital processes 21
Fourth element: Reliable Backend-Systems 25
Conclusion 29
Imprint
Whitepaper-Publication March 2020
T-Systems Multimedia Solutions
GmbH Riesaer Straße 5, 01129 Dresden
Authors
Christian Soyez, Carsten Schulze, Johanna Matthes,
Karl-Heinz Bayer, Andreas Kortüm, Christoph Bernhardt,
Thomas Günther, Tino Mager, Markus Wiskirchen,
Thomas Schneider, Christoph Melchior, Jochen Ruoff,
Renata Aichhorner, Maria Koch, Erik Frömder, Ulf-Jost Kossol
Organization
Project lead: Isabel Uhle, Stefanie Herget
Layout: Peter Brücker
Editor: Sven Hansel

Whitepaper — Brave New Work
Preface
Preface
Dear readers,
“Brave New Work”– Have you come across the title of our whitepaper?
Good, that means we have already achieved our first thought provoking
impulse.
Because we thoroughly intend to show the small similarity in the name
with the world renowned novel title of Aldous Huxley. We would also
like to highlight the changes, new mindsets and ideas. However what
differentiates us from the dystopia of British authors is that we see
things substantially in a more positive light.
We believe that Brave New Work means obligation and opportunity.
Obligation meaning that the companies are compelled to reassess
their traditional workflows for two key reasons: Firstly, this is made
necessary by the ongoing digitization, and secondly, the employees
are requesting for it. They require flexible workplaces, which are
equipped with modern technology since: “The employer market has
become an employee market”. As appropriately said by Bitkompresident
Achim Berg “There is a lack of skilled personnel in several
professions and across all branches – and not just the best minds
are in great demand”.
However, the opportunity means that with this interpretation of “Brave
New Work”, companies get happy employees with a willingness to work,
and above all, fit for the future. They increase the added value and also
remain competitive in the long run.
With the help of this whitepaper, we want to give you the knowhow you
need to successfully introduce New Work – because one thing is clear:
simply flipping the switch is not useful in this topic. New Work is always a
combination of theory and practice, of technology and mentality, of digital
processes and holistic backend systems. I cordially invite you to take
a step further while embarking on the journey to the new reality. Read
practical tips, which you can implement realistically in your company, get
acquainted with the most important technologies and learn from numerous
references how New Work has already proven itself in practice.
Then Brave New Work will no longer remain
a utopia, but will become a promising work
routine.
I hope you enjoy reading this,
Ulrike Volejnik
Head of Business Area New Work
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Whitepaper — Brave New Work
Brave New Work: The new reality
Brave New Work: The new reality
A company car, more vacations, and more money – at first glance, these are familiar aspirations
that employees have been typically expressing to their company for decades. And it is
generally believed that it is up to the employers to meet these aspirations. Only exceptional
talents or perhaps the top management saw themselves in a different position, could exude
more confidence and assert these demands more consistently. So much for the stereo type,
however the reality is different today.
Since the age of digitalization has brought in winds of change. Now majority of the qualified
employees – and especially the sought-after young talents – can also make concrete demands
based on four essential grounds.
• Increase in the number of job vacancies can only be explained demographically, and this
has been happening over the years. While the annual average in 2009 was 3,00,641, five
years later the number had already increased to 4,90,310 and now stands at 7,82,327 jobs. 1
This means that employee engagement involves more and more cost every year.
• The situation is even worse in case of highly qualified workers. “It is more than apparent,
that in many areas, we could have had more economic growth if there were enough qualified
professionals available”, said the Minister for Economic Affairs. 2 As a result, the lack of
outstandingly qualified employees is already having a major negative impact on the economy
and putting strain on the business cycle.
• Digitally fit employees enable companies to act in a faster and more flexible manner and to
respond to their customers with their offers (services, products, consulting) in a personalized
manner to ensure long-term economic success. Side effect: Digitization can exponentially
increase the scope for the employees while simultaneously relieving them from routine work.
• Companies not only want, but also need to automate. Going forward, manual processes
would no longer be competitive in some areas. Countries leading in digitization will then be
able to manufacture and offer at even lower prices. Medium-sized mechanical engineering
sectors in particular, will have to rethink their approach and need even more personnel with
technical know-how in their hierarchy, including those sought after by the competition. Technology
is key, both in the company and for the company.
1 https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/2903/umfrage/jahresdurchschnittswerte-des-bestands-an-offenen-arbeitsstellen/
2 https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Fachkraeftemangel-Wirtschaft-und-Regierung-wollen-im-Ausland-werben-4616867.html
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Whitepaper — Brave New Work
Brave New Work: Die neue Realität
The consequences of this new framework conditions are: A sole employer‘s market is increasingly
becoming an employee‘s market. You are well advised to respond to the wishes and
demands of your employees. Because qualified, contented professionals ensure long-term
competitiveness, secure the survival of a company. More than 50 percent of the companies
perceive the lack of skilled professionals as the greatest threat to their business development. 3
Consequently, this means that organizations have to deal with the requirements of their employees
in detail. This is done in the interest of their own competitiveness.
However, a further challenge is that these demands are formulated explicitly in a different manner
today than in the past and have a completely new nature.
Traditional values such as remuneration, company cars and vacations are being replaced by
others: lifelong learning, security in old age and flexible working. Employees are making higher
and even new demands on the employers.
Three-quarters of the employees expect the company for which they work to offer further training
programs (73 percent) and additional company pension benefits (73 percent). A relaxed
working environment with a sense of community is third on the wish list (71 percent). This is
the result of a representative survey of 1,002 employees in Germany aged between 16 and 65
years, on the behalf of the digital organization Bitkom. 4
However, this combination of concrete demands does not end there: every second employee
values flexible work and expects trust-based working hours (54 percent), working hour accounts
(53 percent), flexitime (51 percent) and home office (49 percent). Approximately, the
same number of employees (48 percent) want a daycare center or another type of childcare for
a better work-life balance, and the study goes on.
Furthermore, companies must not be under any illusions. The market will continue to develop
aligned with the demographics. If you are not the one to meet these demands for qualified
employees, soon there would certainly be another company.
What do professionals associate with New Work and Work 4.0
To what extent do you agree with the following statements?*
Personal aspirations
I would like to be able to divide my working hours freely
It is important for me to pursue a meaningful activity
I would like flat hierarchies
I would like to set my own performance and learning goals
I would like a better work-life balance
Work assignments should change regularly
71 %
82 %
96 %
94 %
93 %
90 %
Societal demands
My employer should represent values with which I can identify
My employer should assume social responsibility
It should be normal that even managers work part-time
72 %
96 %
92 %
Consequences of digitization
Artificial intelligence will significantly change my workplace in the future
Digitization of the work space leads to the self-exploitation of people
Digitization of the work space leads to the exploitation of employees
27 %
40 %
37 %
0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 %
Basis: All surveyed working population (n=1.002) |*Data for » fully agree « and » partially agree «, Source: Bitkom Research
3 https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/New-Work-Arbeitnehmer-Chef-erwarten
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4 https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/New-Work-Arbeitnehmer-Chef-erwarten
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