Taking a chance on more technology

The economy and the labour market were still on the path to recovery at the beginning of the year. Whether and to what extent this growth will persist depends not only on whether the pandemic and the widespread supply shortages can be overcome, but also on whether companies can find the skilled workers they so desperately seek. There is no doubt that technology can be decisive when positioning the company as an attractive employer in a competitive environment.

The importance of this is evident from a recent analysis by the job portal Indeed, which illustrates the scale of the staff shortages: in February, there were more than 25,000 job vacancies in the DAX companies alone. A Civey survey commissioned by BertelsmannStiftung and published at the end of 2021 shows that companies of all sizes have been affected by the shortages – which are in fact much more severe than many companies had been led to expect just one year earlier. When asked what they had done to counteract this development, the measures most commonly mentioned included vocational training and continuing education, the promotion of a good work-life balance, regular pay rises, and the provision of health services.

Gym membership no substitute for digitisation

Companies are therefore clearly willing to invest in such measures and services, and investments of this type have in fact become unavoidable. What is surprising, however, is that digitisation is missing from this list, although the impact of automating specific processes and repetitive tasks in particular is undeniable. Efficiency is an important keyword, but by no means the only one. Neither should we ignore the ability of digital technologies to make work routines more enjoyable and productive. If office managers no longer have to spend a large part of their working day managing the company’s parking spaces, for example, possibly even laboriously (re)booking individual parking spaces manually, they can devote themselves to other – not to say more important – tasks. The freed up capacities not only improve their job satisfaction but also benefit the company as a whole.

Modern work models require digital foundations

A study of more than 3,000 office workers in the UK, the USA and Australia performed in 2021 has shown that many of them are actively calling for the use of new technologies. What they want most of all is contact-free, smartphone-based access or (real-time) information on area usage. At 37 percent, access to flexible workspace options such as hot desks, conference rooms and communal areas is also high on the list – here too, digital solutions are indispensable. Moreover, around one-third of respondents wanted to be able to place digital orders with local providers for lunch and other services. Software-based visitor management systems are almost equally in demand.

The need for more such concepts is evident, for example, from the fact that more than half of those who responded expect their employers to offer hybrid working models in the future. This inevitably raises questions about practical implementation: how can teams be organised if some staff are working remotely and others in the office? How can work routines be structured more flexibly while improving productivity? The employees surveyed rightly assign a key role to technology.

Scoring points in the battle for talent

Companies should by no means neglect this in the competition for the brightest minds. One Forsa survey shows that 37 percent of employees are in the mood for change. One key theme: greater flexibility at work and thus in life generally. A more flexible and convenient everyday work routine, reliably supported by suitable digital tools, may therefore be a more convincing argument than membership of the nearby gym – although this is not a matter of "either/or”. Companies must do one thing in particular to attract potential employees: they must look for smart solutions that offer real added value for company and workforce alike. And if a visit to the gym can be booked just as easily as a conference room, ideally using the same app, we will have achieved (almost) everthing.