2023-07-17 07:34:32
Johanna Bath
The professor at the European School of Business in Reutlingen is researching how the “brave new world of work” will continue.
Dusseldorf After the corona protection measures were abolished, most companies are relying on hybrid work. Many have specified on how many days their employees have to come to the company. But what is the right mix between home office and office?
Very few people know that, says Johanna Bath in the new episode of Handelsblatt Rethink Work. There is “huge uncertainty” in many companies. After various positions in consulting, Bath worked for many years in management at the former Daimler AG. She has been a professor of finance and strategy at the ESB Business School in Reutlingen since 2018 and is researching how the “brave new world of work” will continue.
The industrial engineer finds it shocking that companies that have maintained a strict culture of presence for decades are suddenly saying: “Come in whenever you want.” Opening all floodgates on an issue that is now a more important factor than that for most people Salary, can’t work.
Bath believes many employees know when it’s best for them to come into the office. So why do so many companies still have to lure their workers back?
“It just got into the habit of choosing to work from home,” replies the 40-year-old. This would also be triggered by external pressure. “We now live in a world where every minute of commuting or finding a quiet space to do my video conferencing hurts,” explains Bath.
In many companies, she observes differences between perceptions, which are greater the further away the manager is from the average employee. According to Bath, this “perception gap” is often due to one circumstance: Many employees, unlike their managers, do not have certain skills that are necessary when working from home. This includes, for example, the ability to set priorities or to organize oneself. This often creates the prejudice that employees only optimize their own needs.
Basically, Bath believes that a lot is being asked of both employees and managers today. She explains which skills are required for hybrid work; why attendance at ESB Business School is compulsory; and how a music video helped bring students back to campus.
More: Listen to the previous episode of Rethink Work here
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