11.08.2020
On the way to the "New Normality":Telefónica Deutschland is gearing up its cooperation for the future with five decisive steps
Telefónica Germany prepares for the digital working world of tomorrow with 5 Bold Moves
Telefónica Germany wants to build on the knowledge gained during the COVID-19 special situation and anchor positive changes for the future. To this end, the company presented the corresponding direction to its approximately 8,500 employees on August 10, 2020. With "5 Bold Moves" - five decisive steps - the cooperation is to be aligned to the digital working world of tomorrow: Working Anywhere, Working Anytime, Outcome-based Leadership, Digital by Default and 70% Less Travel.
Nicole Gerhardt
"95% of our employees have rated our approach to the challenges of the pandemic as very positive. From their extensive feedback and our findings from the exceptional situation of the past months, we were able to draw important conclusions for a decisive step into the working world of tomorrow," says HR Director Nicole Gerhardt. "With our thrust for the 'New Normal', we are focusing more than ever before on a digital way of working, individual flexibility and maximum productivity. In this way, we are actively driving our transformation forward - while at the same time keeping the needs of our employees and our contribution to society in mind. The so-called '5 Bold Moves' show the direction that is to be implemented successively and in cooperation with the employee representatives."
Working Anywhere - work where it is most productive
In the future, employees should be able to choose their place of work flexibly in consultation with their managers according to where they are most productive. This can vary depending on the person, situation and activity and can be in the office, home office or at another location. With a flexible hybrid model, the company wants to exploit the advantages of both mobile and on-site work and create new opportunities for location-independent development, nationwide staffing and personal life models.
Working Anytime - flexible working and life time
In the course of COVID-19, Telefónica has extended regular working hours to the maximum legal limit from Monday to Saturday between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. in order to offer parents in particular the greatest possible flexibility in organizing their working day. This time flexibility is to be maintained in the future in order to allow for a more self-determined and conscious use of working time. In this way, the company wants to take greater account than before of the fact that people are productive at different times of the day and make it possible in the long term to reconcile different areas of life even better.
Outcome-based Leadership - leadership with a focus on results
The desired new way of working requires a different kind of leadership. The focus is on the result, not primarily where and when it is achieved. In the future, employees will increasingly work at different times, in different places and virtually. This is a challenge for managers, but also a clear advantage - through increased productivity, more targeted management of value creation, greater employee commitment or access to an expanded job market.
Digital by Default - Virtual meetings as a new standard
The reverse principle applies: digital meetings are the new standard. This is the prerequisite for a more flexible way of working and offers a wide range of advantages for real-time, direct communication and equal, efficient collaboration across locations. At the same time, the targeted, physical meeting remains important. Formats such as creative workshops, special one-to-one meetings and team events should continue to take place "in presence".
70% Less Travel - a clear sign for the environment
Travel for internal meetings should be reduced to a minimum thanks to Digital by Default. In addition to the positive effects such as time and cost savings for employees and the company, up to 600 tons of CO2 per year can be saved. Telefónica plans to reinvest a proportion of the released funds in employees and social purposes.
"With the direction we are taking, we are laying the foundation for sustainable change at Telefónica and want to be pioneers in the digital working world of tomorrow," says Nicole Gerhardt. "The entire Board of Management is 100 percent behind this direction and is setting an example in its implementation in the business areas."