The future of work: flexibility as the key to success

Result

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic, the world of work has been changing in favour of flexible working models. Working from home, job sharing, flexible working hours and the promotion of individual working approaches have become increasingly important. Four out of five people expect these and new concepts to give them more freedom and flexibility in their everyday working lives over the next 20 years. There are differences between different population groups, particularly in terms of education and income. For example, 'only' three quarters of people with a lower salary and less education agree with this statement, while nine out of ten higher earners and those with a higher formal education can imagine this.

Reasons

In recent decades, working hours have become significantly more heterogeneous and flexible. Social changes in Germany, such as modern lifestyles, changing family structures, an increasing number of working women, growing health awareness and increasing globalisation, are largely responsible for this. Experiences from the pandemic, advancing technologisation, digitalisation and demographic change are currently reinforcing this development and at the same time emphasising the individual needs of employees.

The differences between the approval ratings of citizens with a formally higher level of education and income and those with a lower level of education and income can be explained primarily by their professional experience and areas of work. For example, the latter often work in skilled trades or service professions, as well as in the manufacturing industry, where flexible working models are more difficult to implement. In contrast, managers, scientists, civil servants and office workers can more easily demand and realise alternative working models.

Forecast

Many employees want a more flexible working environment that goes beyond the current offer of part-time work, flexitime or working from home. Newer models such as trust-based working time, annualised working time, lifetime working time accounts, KAPOVAZ (capacity-oriented variable working time), job sharing, co-working or workation will be offered where feasible.

Technological progress, from automation and digitalisation to artificial intelligence, will help to make individual working time requests possible. This development will lead to an even better work-life balance, greater employee satisfaction, less stress and more fun and motivation at work. For companies, in turn, this will result in closer employee loyalty, lower staff turnover, higher productivity and fewer absences due to illness, as well as extended opening hours and better employer branding both internally and externally.