The shortage of skilled workers is an omnipresent problem in a wide variety of industries. It is therefore all the more important to rethink this and not necessarily to go in search of “the best employee”, but to use one’s own potential within the company. The theses on the development of the working world can help here.
In the meantime, there are very different approaches in the business sector to getting the best possible grip on the skilled labor problem. For years now, the ideas on how to do this have been somewhat bogged down and are mainly aimed at attracting new employees, i.e. mobilizing “real” skilled workers. With very moderate success. It would be better to re-evaluate existing resources, assess them better and use them efficiently. At least, that’s what business experts agree on and have come up with some far-reaching theses on the development of the world of work specifically on this topic.
The theses on the development of the world of work are:
1. Right potential is more important than high potential
Managers must recognize which employee is best suited for which area of responsibility. Often, it is not so much the skills that are lacking here as proper training. Advanced training, development programs and much more can help to fully utilize the potential of one’s own employees. Many bosses may be surprised to learn that it may no longer be necessary to hire or search for the employee with the highest professional potential, instead relying on those employees who have the right potential to complete the tasks at hand. This would quickly put an end to the frustrating search.
2. Set up patch work teams professionally
The term patch work refers to the formation of meaningfully acting work groups in which individual skills and abilities are the focus of consideration. This requires the formation of new project forms that are put together in a modular fashion and make it possible to form such new organizational structures within an existing team in the first place. The declared goal is for everyone to experience their work as meaningful and for success as a joint achievement to contribute to motivation for future tasks.
3. “Life-cycle balance” as a basic model for work and leisure time
Life rarely runs in a straight line, but rather in waves. Accordingly, work must adapt to these basic conditions so that employees feel comfortable and understood in all their needs. Those who are currently under a lot of stress in their private lives will automatically carry this into the company. As soon as the stress level increases there as well, it becomes difficult to stay motivated and happy. So it is important to find an understanding for the combination of free time, family and working hours. Flexible time models and work structures help to combine both better and to master difficult situations in one or the other field more satisfactorily. On this topic, also read our article “Caring Companies vs. Fluid Companies“.
4. Put the focus on the employee
For the customer, not only the supervisor should be the first and last point of contact, but the individual employee. Interested customers want to see the company as a whole, they want to see and know what is going on behind the scenes, and they want to be informed and advised at all times. This is why it is so important not to view one’s own company as a kind of staircase to success, on which each step has a different value. Instead, it must be about working together at all levels and valuing each piece of work equally. This basic attitude should then not only be spread internally, but also lived outwardly.
5. Critically evaluate own resources
When looking for a suitable specialist for different areas of work within a company, it does not have to be about finding the perfect person right away. Instead, it can be useful to question what potential is already available to you among your own employees. Often the right overview of processes and employees is lacking, especially in larger companies. This often results in wasted potential, which is not only a shame for everyone involved, but also means wasted expenditure. After all, why do you need a new position with a high salary when individual advancement would be worthwhile instead? The employees in question would certainly enjoy new challenges and a pay rise.
These are the theses on the development of the world of work put forward by economic experts that need to be taken to heart, especially in times of New Work.
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Image copyright: Peter H
