Contents
Transforming work

Will we be
out of work

or finally get out of doing work?

Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben! Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.

Help, the robots are coming...

... and they’re after our jobs! In their study “The Future of Employment”, Oxford professors Frey and Osborne conclude that nearly 50 percent of jobs in the US may be automated in the near future. But what does that mean? Will we all be out of a job tomorrow - and have no income? Or will we get more time to use as we choose? Can artificial intelligence really replace work by people altogether, or will machines instead become our new colleagues? And what about the new jobs actually being created by digitalization? No one can say for certain whether more jobs will be created than will disappear - or vice versa. And no-one knows how our society will change as a result. But in any case, one thing is clear: the world of work is undergoing a dramatic change. Work is becoming more digital, flexible and versatile. Employees and companies alike must be willing to learn and to change.

Building skills

  • You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This old truism has long been obsolete in the digital age. Technological change is fast-paced and we are all learning new things every day. As a com­pany, we want to equip our employees for the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why our HR department works closely with other Deutsche Telekom departments. Together, they peer into the crystal ball and consider what our strategic focal points will be in the coming years. What skills will our employees need to work in the future? This is how we create “future job profiles” and decide what further training or new appointments we need. We need a good overview of current skills within the company to be able to do this. Almost 5,000 employees from various areas have already completed a skills management process with this in mind. Each employee is assigned a skills profile that covers the specialist and general skills they need to best meet current and future job requirements. Managers and employees then look together for any gaps and can work out training measures.

Don’t wait, jump in!

  • Digitalization is a process without an off switch – but it’s up to us whether we let the transition steamroller us or we actively shape it. As a telecommunications com­pany, we are driving digitalization for­ward by expanding our networks and devel­op­ing innovative solutions. At the same time, we also have to evolve as a company and keep up. This is why we at Deutsche Telekom are creating experi­men­tal spa­ces where we try out new things. One of these experimental areas involves inter­depart­mental teamwork. Using the 80/20 model, we give employees the freedom
  • to choose to spend 20 percent of their working time on projects outside of their usual remit. This allows them to work with teams from other departments. In this way, we break up departmental silos and can make better use of the company’s broad spectrum of talent. We are also breaking new ground when it comes to team working: we work together on digital platforms across the Group and use new methods such as design thinking to solve complex problems. Our HR position paper outlines other ideas on how we can shape the world of digital working.

Christian P. Illek, Chief Human Resources Officer

A positive attitude towards digitalization is essential. In some places we need the courage to take on a challenge and try out something new. That is why I always urge people to ‘just go ahead and do it.’ And we are creating the necessary experimental space for this so that we can explore new possibilities – without organizational and operational pressures.

Facilitating flexibility

  • Is it possible to work independently of time or place? Digitalization makes it possible. Whether they are in the office, or working from home or on the train: our employees achieve excellent results everywhere. We laid the foundation for this as early as 2016: that year, the unions ver.di and agv:comunity concluded the first general collective agreement on mobile working. We are flexible about where we work, but also about working hours: flexible working hours, part-time work, or longer periods of time off – our employees can choose the work model that best supports their individual work-life balance and suits their current phase of life.

Creating free spaces

  • In the office every morning at eight o’clock sharp, at the same desk every day and back into the rush hour traffic eight hours later. For a long time, this was how a typical office workplace looked. Digitalization is seriously shaking up how we work. Nowadays, teams are spread across different locations and meet in web conferences – often from the office, but also when traveling or from home. The work environment therefore obviously needs to change too. Through Future Work we are giving our employees open office environments, the possibility of desk sharing, areas for networking, and project and creative spaces ... We are creating space for fresh ideas in the truest sense. However, Future Work also stands for mobile working, away from work areas, and for a new type of trust-based management that relies on results rather than presence.

Digital teamwork

  • We work online, communicate online and more and more often we also learn online: “You and Me” - or YAM for short - is the social network for our employees. At the end of 2017, some 123,000 users had already registered. YAM has up-to-date news and can also be used to discuss exciting topics and give each other feedback. YAM also gives our employees a direct line to the Board of Management and managers. In addition, it creates new teamwork opportunities. For example, right now around 30 virtual communities are discussing strategically important topics such as cyber security, artificial intelligence or the Internet of Things. Gamification, or the inclusion of gaming elements in training materials, helps put the fun into learning. For example, we have successfully tried out the use of quiz and VR games. In 2017, more than 37 percent of all course hours were completed in digital form.

Take a chance on democracy

  • Employees choosing their own mana­gers? That’s reality at Deutsche Telekom. At the end of 2016, the 130-strong Cor­po­rate Communications team chose four managers from among their own ranks – initially for one year. The team selected three women and one man, of different ages and with different levels of ex­peri­en­ce. Why this unusual procedure? It’s quite
  • simple: as our world of work changes, we must take a long, hard look at how we man­age it. And maybe decide to become bolder and try new things out together. We are hoping the project brings greater transparency, a better understanding between team and managers and there­fore better leadership overall. The project has the full support of the Works Council.