New ways of working
Mar 17, 2022
Whether video meetings, group chats, or interactive platforms — digital tools pave the way for modern and flexible forms of working. In the Dürr Group, a dedicated team is therefore driving the use of new apps and tools.
Time was pressing when Ricarda Hohn was asked for advice by a colleague. For the first time, he had to lead an online workshop with 30 people attending. “He had only little experience with this type of exchange,” she says. She quickly explained several apps to him that are easy to use, among them the whiteboard — a template for virtual brainstorming that enables the whole group to collaborate simultaneously in real time. The feedback received after the workshop: The facilitation went well and the colleagues did a great job participating.
It is feedback like this that Ricarda Hohn and her colleague Mona Daub are particularly pleased about. The two are part of the Modern Workplace team. Together with employees from various parts of the Group, including IT, Communications, and HR, they are driving internal digitalization in the company’s day-to-day operations in order to enable contemporary ways of working. This is a task that has become crucial due to the pandemic and the trend toward mobile and hybrid working.
Sascha Hoffmann
Automotive Client Technology Lead at Microsoft
Hybrid working offers the freedom to adapt the work to your own needs. Together with our know-how, the Microsoft 365 products, and the impressive Dürr team spirit, we have succeeded in a very short time in putting people at the center and enabling efficient exchange in hybrid working environments.
Part of the „Modern Workplace“ team: Mona Daub (l.) and Ricarda Hohn
Leaving no one behind
Hohn and Daub search for interesting software on the market and think about whether it can be deployed in a useful manner in the company. This includes collaboration tools as well as project planners and digital platforms for exchanging information. In between these tasks, the two explain apps in one-on-one meetings, advise departments, and organize software training for the entire Group, such as the Digital Training Days. During this one-week training, employees were able to participate in various webinars, learning about the Microsoft Teams collaboration tool and working in the cloud, among other things. Instead of relying on external coaches, the Modern Workplace team counted on the expertise within the workforce. The principle was successful, and the presentations by employees from the company’s own ranks met with great approval.
Like everywhere else, the working world is also changing faster and faster in the Dürr Group, and no one should be left behind. “The pace of change is high,” confirms Mona Daub. Modern software is updated every few months. You have to get used to the fact that a familiar button suddenly looks different, a menu has been rearranged, or the app has been equipped with a new function overnight. These are instances for which the Modern Workplace team also raises awareness among their colleagues. It rarely happens that employees take a fundamentally skeptical view of the use of new apps. In most cases, however, some rethinking is required when previously unknown applications encounter well-established work processes.
The Modern Workplace team promotes internal digitalization in eve-ryday business operations to enable contemporary ways of working.
Unconventional ideas are welcome
To prevent the introduction of a digital tool from taking up too much time, employees can also continue their training in between tasks, in the staff kitchen or at their desks. Tutorials or interesting tips on new apps are regularly available on the intranet. One example is TeamsTalk, where the Modern Workplace team answers questions about the Microsoft application.
Hohn and Daub regularly think about additional formats. They have a lot of freedom in the process. Unconventional ideas are welcome. One example is TeamsToni — a character familiar to everyone in the Dürr Group who uses the collaboration tool. The stylized fox pops up in the Teams chat function several times a week with information about training courses or tips on how to use the software.
TeamsToni is a very clever fox that shows all employees new functions as well as tips & tricks about Microsoft Teams.
Enjoying her job: Ricarda Hohn helps staff familiarize themselves with the new, digital working world.
A vibrant working environment: Mona Daub heads up the Modern Workplace team.
Is it older employees who tend to need tutoring in the digital world and must be guided by younger ones because the latter have fewer reservations? Ricarda Hohn considers this. “Not necessarily,” she concludes. Older employees often contribute practical experience, which can be crucial for the appropriate use of digital tools. Besides, she thinks that it’s more a question of character, not age. “There are many colleagues who have been with Dürr for 30 years and still love to deal with new things.”
