New Work: The New Normal? Key Findings @ DHL Express Germany

In many companies Mobile Office for everyone has been an unusual daily routine up to now. Therefore, it is a new challenge for employees as well as for managers. How do I work effectively outside my office? How do I have to behave as a manager to fulfil my manager role despite the distance? New Work offers new freedom but also new responsibility for both parties.

Digitalization as well as location-independent working are just some of the factors and drivers making work organization today more and more flexible. Therefore, the term Smart Work is even more appropriate than the often used term New Work. Digitalization and globalization are not the causes but function as catalysts here. The cause is the employees’ general aspiration of participation and taking responsibility for their own work tasks.

Today is no longer about executing duties delegated by managers. It is about every employee being engaged and working effectively and creatively in and for the company. Openness and curiosity are in demand!

For managers this means: letting go of control and building trust. Working at a distance often gives managers at least the feeling of losing control. Isn’t the employee much more productive when he or she can be watched sitting at the desk in the office? 

It is necessary to create a working atmosphere in which output instead of input and dialogue instead of monologue are important. Both parties are in a learning process to create this atmosphere and, therefore, always have to keep in touch. Communication is the most essential component of this process. Building trust takes time and first of all regular communication between both parties.

As the physical presence is no longer given, other ways to communicate need to be used even more intensively to exchange views and ideas and to build the trust needed. How does the employee feel and which experiences does he or she make outside of the office? Does the manager give the necessary orientation? What expectations do both sides have? Honest interest in the others perspective and impressions are of fundamental importance.

With enough interaction and a stable structure, working at a distance works. 

Mobile Office and the current pandemic bring a new working method and a crisis together. On the one hand, everyone has to cope with a different working environment and, on the other hand, the world outside of work does not offer the usual orientation anymore.

But it is this crisis that offers great chances, too. Trust and solidarity get a completely new meaning in our society. And the acceptance of experimenting with new virtual possibilities grows.

At DHL Express Germany we managed to equip more than 800 employees with hardware and software for Mobile Office in a very short period of time. For many of them, for example, in vehicle disposition and in customer service, we could hardly imagine how their work could be done mobile. But with flexibility and trust it does work.

New target groups are willing to try Smart Work with the help of this testing. And through virtual meetings a new culture arises and becomes more and more accepted. We experienced that Live Town Halls offer a more open and transparent communication and, therefore, a feeling of community despite the distance.

We at DHL Express strongly believe that purpose and trust are key drivers of employee engagement. Hence, we have created many “moments that matter” for our employees where they can experience our unique company culture and develop a sense of belonging. To just name a few: DHL in a box for new starters, our Certified International Specialist training and cultural change program, company events like our Family Days, European Employee of the Year event and our famous DHL Eurocup.

For the future it will be important to find the right mix of physical and online “moments that matter.” Simply copying the physical moments into the virtual world will not be enough. This year – instead of our decentralized DHL Family days – we created a nationwide virtual barbecue party, where DHL employees across the entire country did a joint barbecue via Zoom. Before the event every participant received a personal party box delivered by a DHL courier.

Definitely a moment that mattered to many of us, as it was great to also get an insight into the private terraces and gardens of so many of our employees and their families. It is all about experimenting. 

The new way of communication is also a question of different generations. Some older employees might take part in their first video conference ever, while the younger generation does not only use Mobile Office but also claims it a must-have in their job interview. 

DHL Express is working in 220 countries and territories and there are very many different arrangements in the work culture. In Germany, there is not a common solution that employees of all ages are pleased with. Every employee has to decide how he or she would like to work, in which environment and in which model.

Many employees already don’t want to miss the freedom that working in Home Office or Mobile Office offers them. That’s why the future belongs to hybrid working models in which every employee can decide which workplace suits best.

Some companies have already announced not to go back to working in the office only. Instead employees can decide if they want to work in the office completely or partially or stay in Mobile Office. Every company that wants to keep well-trained employees in their company permanently does not have a choice but to leave the choice to the employee.

In sum, this leads to my following key take-aways regarding Smart Work:

1. Explain: Communicate as much as possible. Communication is key! To make Smart Work successful for managers and employees alike, communication between these two parties is the most important.
2. Establish: Clear rules and responsibilities for both parties are necessary. In the context of Smart Work, freedom does not mean to do what you like but to build trust with the help of communication and clear structures.
3. Enable: Support your employees to be open and curious. Discuss their ideas and suggestions, empower them in their individual development and give them the environment they need to deliver the best results.
4. Experiment: Test new ways of communication. Try different formats and don’t be afraid to fail! It takes some time for every company to find out which ways of communication are the most effective ones for which generation and in which context.
5. Expect: The future work environment will be mobile. In the long term, all companies will have to open up for flexible work models, otherwise the future employees will not want to work for them.

Our DPDHL Group strategy “Strategy 2025 – Delivering excellence in a digital world” focuses on strengthening digital opportunities to enhance our customer services and continuously improve our processes.

As the most international logistics company, we will shape the future of our industry in a digitalized world. The current pandemic has been a challenge as well as a catalyst for creating this digital future. 

Published: October 2020