Getting a Grip on „Work 4.0“

How does ongoing digitization change workplace culture? In 2017, nearly every organization has to find answers to this question.

The favorite buzzword in all related discussions is „Work 4.0“. It describes innovative approaches to organization and hierarchy, to staff management and motivation – and, of course, to all facets of company communication.

The hr-lounge is a network of human resources managers from medium-sized and large companies everywhere in Austria. It promotes opinion exchange and organizes discussion meetings on current topics. On May 10th, Netural hosted such a network meeting with a focus on „digital“ ideas.

55 human resources managers got together in our loft at Tabakfabrik Linz for food, drinks and informal talks in a casual atmosphere. Irene Bouchal (HR) and Albert Ortig (CEO) presented Netural´s agile structures, sharing experiences from last year´s reorganization project. A subsequent tour of Netural´s own co-working loft „Axis“ was a essentially a walk through real-life „Work 4.0“. What participants took home that evening was a wealth of inputs about digital communication and services with lasting impact on human (and staff) behavior.

Among our guests were Herbert Wagner (Pöttinger), Markus Schaubschläger (Miba), Manfred Bauer (Wacker Neuson), and Tobias Höglinger (dm). The evening´s general consensus: No other part of life will be changed by digitization more dramatically than work. Forward-looking companies need to come up with visionary ideas, and soon.