Working World 4.0 and the Influence of the Corona Crisis
A short survey conducted by the Future Work Group and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW shows the impact of the Corona crisis on the world of work 4.0. A large proportion of employees are satisfied with how their employers are handling the situation. Flexibility, transparency and virtual team chats were cited as the most important success factors.
On the occasion of the Corona crisis and the associated home office boom, the Future Work Group and the Hochschule für Wirtschaft FHNW jointly conducted a short survey in April 2020, which was intended to take a snapshot of the current situation with regard to Working World 4.0 shortly after the start of the lockdown. A total of 164 people took part, 65% of them employees in SMEs. Just under a third (29%) of all participants are managers. More than three quarters of the survey participants (78%) are basically satisfied with how their companies are coping with the current situation.
Deterioration on the one hand, improvement on the other hand
As a result of the Corona crisis, the communication behavior and emotional situation of around 36% of the respondents deteriorated to some extent on a personal level. However, a good 70% of the participants state that their personal stress experience has remained unchanged, and around 28% even perceive a slight improvement. In relation to their company, the participants say that the areas of communication, culture and collaboration in particular have improved. The flexibility granted by the company, transparency and virtual team chats are cited as important leadership success factors.
Working world 4.0 - the opportunity in and out of the crisis
Against the background of the respondents' overwhelming satisfaction with their company's crisis management mentioned at the beginning, it is surprising that 55% of the participants state that their employers had not been prepared for this situation. According to 56% of respondents, their companies did not have an IT infrastructure for virtual/digital collaboration by then. In addition to a lack of IT infrastructure, the respondents mainly see barriers in the area of leadership and personal meetings or exchanges between colleagues.
Home office as a supporting form of work
More than half see the use of home office as a useful, supportive form of work (58%), while a good third of participants (34%) feel restricted. Digitization, home office and new forms of communication and collaboration clearly crystallize as the big opportunities for companies. Consequently, the results show that the advantages of Working World 4.0 outweigh the disadvantages and boost digitization.
Further information on Working World 4.0 is available in the major Swiss study and the practical guide "Working World 4.0 - As an SME, successfully shaping the working world of the future", which can be found at www.arbeitswelt-zukunft.ch is available free of charge.
