How the modern world of work comes to the factory

Cologne Agile New Work in the offices, but fixed shift schedules in the factory? Ariane Reinhart, Head of Human Resources at Continental, doesn’t think much of that. “We don’t want a two-class society at Continental,” she says.

A lot has been invested in reorganizing work in the factories and making it more flexible, also in the interests of the employees. The automotive supplier is testing new part-time models, job sharing, mini-sabbaticals and self-organized shift plans via app in factories worldwide – and that even before Corona.

During the pandemic, the need to make shift work flexible increased. Delivery bottlenecks really messed up production in the auto industry.

At the Regensburg location, Continental is now using an app. It can be used to react automatically to fluctuating personnel requirements at very short notice.

The digitization of the electronics factory creates the conditions. Machines order material independently, people and collaborative robots called cobots work hand in hand. Production plans are created from data from the networked factory, from which a shift schedule is derived using an algorithm.

Continental has recently been planning with a certain understaffing in Regensburg. The remaining shifts can be assigned at very short notice if required. For Continental, this is also an opportunity to reduce costs through overstaffing. “In the past, if shifts had to be filled spontaneously, a shift manager almost always asked the same people if they could step in,” says site manager René Krahn. This should be different now.

The app first asks those employees who have not shown much flexibility in the past or who have few hours on the working time account. An incentive system is intended to ensure that volunteers can also be found for unpopular shifts. If there are no tight deadlines on the production side, employees can also freely choose the time of their work.

Flexibility must also be possible in the factories

Continental developed and tested the tool together with employees and works councils for more than a year and a half. “Our administrative planning effort has been reduced considerably,” praises Krahn. “And we have the impression that the employees are also more motivated.” Continental is not alone with such experiences.

Manufacturing companies are feeling increasing pressure to be more flexible. With fluctuating customer orders and delivery problems, the need for personnel in production also varies. “Rigid shift schedules are collapsing in many companies,” reports Guido Zander, who advises companies on personnel deployment planning. At the same time, the shortage of skilled workers is forcing many companies to offer their employees more attractive and flexible working conditions.

These constraints could give employees more freedom in the future. While colleagues in the office are increasingly free to decide when and how they work, in factories tight production schedules and hierarchies usually set the pace.

“Very few employees can choose flexible working time models or organize their tasks independently,” says Zander. “If companies don’t rethink here, they will have massive problems.”

Shift work is becoming increasingly unpopular

In Germany, for example, four out of ten employees consider resigning if the employer does not offer sufficient flexibility, according to a LinkedIn survey. The situation in shift work is serious, says Zander. “Almost all customers tell me that they just can’t find people for it.”

He advises companies to look for new solutions. For example, one of his customers did not realize the growth plans through shift work, but through the construction of a second plant. “Companies do not always have an overview of the total costs due to shift work. Many employees resign, call in sick, a lot of money flows into the search for personnel or night bonuses,” says Zander.

At another customer, a machine builder, teams independently organize when they produce the orders – and how they distribute the working hours over individual days.

The old full-time way of thinking is reaching its limits. “Production companies have to adapt to their employees much more individually,” says Zander. Older people who are no longer productive for eight hours at a time often work in production. Younger people would be deterred too. Many would like to temporarily reduce working hours – for example to have more time for the family.

Stefan Gerlach, Team Leader Production Management at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization, agrees that the human resources resource in production companies is often planned to be extremely tight. He develops concepts that give companies more flexibility in shift planning. Customers often wanted to better absorb order fluctuations. “Anyone who no longer plans shifts with such a tight staffing level can also respond more flexibly to the wishes of the employees,” says Gerlach.

He advises combining flexible working hours with a more diverse and flexible personnel pool. Means are about more partial retirement, student holiday help or temporary work. Another big lever: training employees so that they can also work on a different production line. “Many companies underestimate how much this brings them.”

Freedom of choice for employees: a give and take

On the one hand, employees are being asked to be more flexible, but on the other hand, they are also being granted more. “Freedom of choice is in the interests of the employees,” says Gerlach. Some wanted the classic, predictable 40-hour week. Others are willing to spontaneously take on shifts more often – if they are rewarded with a shorter weekly working time, for example.

Nevertheless: Gerlach experiences skepticism from a number of companies when it comes to individual working time models. “Often for one simple reason: Shift planning is too time-consuming for them.”

There have long been digital tools that support this. Providers such as Atoss, Plano, Inform, Gfos or Interflex help to bring together the production needs, different working time models and the wishes of the employees. In shift plan apps, employees can swap shifts spontaneously – or agree if someone on the late shift wants to start an hour later. Without such tools, there is often no opportunity to communicate across shifts.

Trade unionists still advise caution. The smart tools could put pressure on employees – especially if employers are only interested in more efficiency. It is all the more important to involve affected employees and works councils at an early stage.

Before introducing the new app, Continental asked production employees for feedback. In the future, employees will also be able to work more flexibly in terms of content and control their activities via the app, says site manager Krahn. Sometimes a skilled worker will also step in for simple tasks – or bring his knowledge to bear in development or in ordering. “The boundaries between office and factory will continue to blur,” says Krahn’s prognosis.

Allsafe: Employees decide for themselves which tasks they take on

At the medium-sized company Allsafe, employees can already decide more freely which tasks they take on. The company manufactures transport locks in Engen, a small town near Lake Constance. The employees decide again and again in a self-organized manner whether they assemble, pack or take on logistical tasks. The activity becomes more varied. A line manager mediates in the event of disagreements.

“Many report back that they enjoy their work more,” says Managing Director Detlef Lohmann. Most tasks are easy to learn. “If you want to do the same thing every day, you can do that too.”

Although the employees in the offices have more freedom, they also have an unusual amount of say in production. Production employees, warehouse clerks and logisticians get involved in job interviews and organize vacation times themselves. “It usually works well,” says Lohmann – but only with specific specifications from the team leader as to when and how much has to be produced.

Selfishness is everywhere. “Some believe that they have leased certain vacation periods,” says Lohmann. Then the team management has to moderate and decide in case of doubt.

For the past two years, the production teams have met after each shift and reflected on the day. What went well, what can be improved? When an employee said on the occasion that he felt a pinch in his back when he made a certain movement, Allsafe bought a device that helps with lifting. “Because there is room for it, we find out about problems earlier,” says Lohmann. “The daily exchange simply makes the employees feel that they are taken seriously.”

More: Companies are redesigning office space for New Work