"More mobile working increasingly requires a leadership style that focuses on results, not on being in the office."
Modern Leadership?
In the corona crisis, many companies have expanded the possibilities for working from home and other forms of mobile working. For many companies this was a leap into the unknown. Christof Baumgart, responsible for Global Human Resources at Leadec, gives an assessment of compulsory attendance, strong leadership and basic requirements.
Mr Baumgart, almost every day, large corporations unanimously announce that they no longer oblige their employees to come into the office. What do you think about this with regard to Leadec?
The corona crisis has of course triggered a digitization push. We were prepared for it as regards IT, so that all colleagues for whom this was possible and necessary were able work from home from one day to the next. And we have seen how productive and effective this can be. However, mobile working at Leadec has always existed, although mainly in individual cases. Now we have reacted quickly and defined a “new normal.” Depending on the regional and legal conditions, we too have expanded the more flexible choice of work location.
Are there any limits to it?
Yes, of course. We are a real people business – service is our product, mostly provided in our customers’ factories. Our employees are therefore crucial to our business success. A general solution or even a complete move to working from home is therefore not in our sense of a good co-working. Moreover, working remotely is not possible in many jobs. Some colleagues prefer to work in the office. Successful HR work is able to integrate business requirements, company goals, requirements (e.g. regarding data protection, occupational health and safety, etc.) and the wishes of current and future employees and to create real solutions.
What would you advise other companies: What conditions are necessary for mobile work to work?
From today’s perspective, I see four important aspects. Primarily, to inform the employees and to give them an understanding of what working mobile is about. This can be achieved through appropriate training. We offer remote and international training courses in our Leadec Campus. This is how we ensure that our people have the required media skills and that they can fully exploit the potential for successful project work. In addition, of course, uncomplicated communication to ensure the bond with the company even when working virtually. Leadec uses a global employee app for this purpose to reach the entire workforce no matter where they are. Thirdly, the technical equipment is of course crucial. Our systems run in the cloud, so our intranet can be accessed from anywhere as a digital workstation and communications hub. And last but not least, the managers who play a special role in our business must be involved.
What is the best way to get the management involved?
Managers must develop further. More mobile working increasingly requires a leadership style that focuses on results, not on being in the office. We trust our colleagues – no matter where they are. What managers exemplify to their teams in terms of customer orientation, service thinking and employee leadership is decisive. We therefore focus on this group of employees in order to promote the cultural change in the company.
What were concrete steps to implement mobile working?
We set up an interdisciplinary project team within a very short time. In a project sprint, a concept for the working model with everything that goes with it was created. That is, specifications, expectations, general conditions and a training offer to be able to start directly. This phase has shown that we are highly effective.
When would you say that the new normal was successful in day-to-day work?
We have started. It is important to check this continuously and adjust it if necessary. Successful, yes or no? It all depends on the common goal and the motivation to realize our vision: We are the leading industrial service provider for the factory of today and tomorrow.
You may also be interested in the following articles:
All
Interview10/22/2024“EU Green Deal Readiness – We are ahead of time.”
In this interview, Markus Bölke, Global Head of Green Factory Solutions, Sustainability & HSE at Leadec gives an insight into how the company has anchored the EU Green Deal in its strategy and how Leadec supports its customers with special services to make their own production more climate-neutral.
Interview10/02/2024“Cleanrooms Are Just Beautiful”
Protective clothing, a sterile environment, and air locks: cleanrooms are a very special working environment. In this interview, Steve Koch, who works at Leadec’s Dresden site, talks about what it’s like to work under extremely strict conditions and what he appreciates about it.
Interview09/24/2024Leonarda’s journey: from specialist to trainer
Leonarda started at Leadec in Brazil in 2019 as a health and safety specialist in a team of 50 people. She is now a health and safety trainer and passes on her knowledge while commuting between customer sites and dedicating herself to the most important thing: the safety of employees.
Interview09/18/2024“Together, we can make a difference!”
In the interview with Bernard Sextus, Director Operations of Leadec India, you can learn more about how every little contribution to climate protection counts, how data can be used to improve awareness and what Leadec colleagues in India actively do.
Video08/30/2024Working at Leadec: Bernd about variety
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Bernd describes why his work at Leadec is varied.
Article08/27/2024‘Future-ready’ – A Week Dedicated to Further Training
The Leadec Learning Week is a really big event in the Leadec calendar. There is a lot of preparation behind it and the aim of the ‘power week’ is to offer attractive internal training sessions via the Leadec Campus and to allow work and learning to merge.
Interview08/13/2024Five Years of Leadec.os – Driver For Digital Transformation
Leadec.os has been standardizing and digitizing Leadec’s service processes across systems for 5 years. Michael Schenk, Global Head of Business Applications, looks back and talks about milestones and the impact of the platform on the whole company.
Video07/22/2024Working at Leadec: Hatice about respect
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Hatice describes how she experiences respect in her work.
Article07/16/2024Sustainability Report 2023: “Driving sustainable manufacturing together”
The new sustainability report is available – and for the first time it is based on the new requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). At the same time, it provides a comprehensive overview of projects and activities relating to sustainability at Leadec.
Video07/15/2024Working at Leadec: Marc about team spirit
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Marc describes what team spirit looks like in his department.
Brochure07/12/2024Sustainability Report 2023
As the world’s leading service specialist for the entire life cycle of a factory, Leadec prioritizes ESG principles for a sustainable future. Our target is to lead our industry by example. The sustainability report 2023 was prepared according to the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)/ European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
Interview07/03/2024Marissa’s journey: from technical cleaner to service line manager
Marissa has been part of the Canadian Leadec team in Oakville since 2015. She started as a technical cleaner in the final department. Since January 2023, she has been responsible for technical cleaning at the site as service line manager.
Video06/20/2024Working at Leadec: Vinit about variety
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Vinit describes why his work at Leadec is varied.
Interview06/10/2024“Sustainability and Digitalization Are the Big Issues”
Leadec has been operating in Hungary for 30 years. Managing Director Ferenc Dákai has been with the company for almost as long. In this interview, he provides an insight into the Hungarian market, talks about current challenges, and draws his own personal conclusions.
Video06/06/2024Working at Leadec: Elia about respect
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Elia describes what respect means to him.
Interview05/31/2024Jesse's journey: from technical cleaner to service line manager
Jesse Mack started out as a technical cleaner 15 years ago, back then at Premier in the USA. He took a different path for a while and returned to Leadec in 2021.
Interview05/23/2024“It's Often About a Higher Level of Automation”
E-commerce and online retail are booming. More than 160 billion parcels are sent worldwide every year. In this interview, Thomas Leitner, Vice President Global Business Development, explains the role Leadec plays in this and the opportunities this industry offers.
Video05/13/2024Working at Leadec: Coralie about team spirit
Respect, team spirit and variety are the foundation of our work. Coralie describes why her work at Leadec is characterized by team spirit.
Interview05/02/2024Yu's journey: from intern to maintenance supervisor
Yu from China started his career as an intern in 2008. Since 2021 he has been maintenance supervisor and appreciates the trusting working environment at Leadec.
Video03/12/2024How Leadec is Shaping Digitalization
How are Leadec.os, digitalization, new business models and Leadec's future readiness related? The video on our digital capabilities is all about that! Find out first-hand from colleagues how Leadec is transforming the factory of today and tomorrow with digitally driven service solutions.
Interview01/25/2024Digitalization, services, and diversity in HR management
Currently, more than 24,000 Leadec specialists work for over 350 production sites. In this interview Christof Baumgart, Head of Global Human Resources & Organization (HR), talks about Leadec as a “people-centric business” and how targeted HR work can contribute to the company's success.
Article12/19/2023Global Collaboration: The Pulse of the “HR Digi” Project
When teamwork for an IT project overcomes all boundaries, the outcome speaks for itself. This was the case with the "HR Digi" project at Leadec 2023.
Video12/13/2023Leadec Factory Talks – Episode 7: Health & Safety
What influence do new production methods and technologies, increasing digitalization and incentive systems have on occupational safety? Find out in episode 7 of our Factory Talks.
Interview11/08/2023Hundreds of Thousands of Vehicles in Focus
Leadec employees ensure that each vehicle arrives at its destination on the factory premises after production as part of "Vehicle Processing". They are supported in this by Leadec's own software Leadec.os. In this interview, Gareth Crawford explains the application and why this development project was a very special one for him.